


If You Say So

by babyblueglasses



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Dehumanization, Don't copy to another site, Familiars, How Do I Tag, Loneliness, M/M, Magic, Makeup, Master/Pet, Pampering, Touch-Starved, Veterinary Clinic, Wingfic, all the issues that are going to come with thinking of someone as a pet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-09-14 09:32:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 26,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16910439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babyblueglasses/pseuds/babyblueglasses
Summary: When the second prince of Asgard is gifted a bird with mechanical wings, he has no idea what he's gotten himself into. He does have an idea, however, of how wonderful a familiar the bird would make.orTony is taken captive by an Asgardian hunting party only to be gifted to a mercurial prince that seems fascinated by his mechanical wings. Tony's determined to spin the situation to his advantage.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Tony's wings are inspired by Clamp's Clover. :) https://goo.gl/images/VozJwZ  
> Please enjoy this quirky wingfic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is not for distribution outside of ao3.

From the very start, Loki was chosen to receive the bird as a gift. 

Perhaps it was because his birthday was not far off, or perhaps it was because with his talents for magic and his curiosity for the unknown, he was thought to be best suited for the gift. Maybe it was because his older brother was in the hunting party that discovered the bird and had been feeling guilty for upsetting Loki recently so it’d seemed like a good idea.

Regardless, the red winged bird was never considered as a gift for any other noble from the moment it was found and captured in forests of Asgard. 

When Loki was informed of the gift, he brushed it off, telling the guards that it belonged in the garden. That was, until he saw the bird. 

“By the nine, why is it in such a state? Did no one think to tend to it before bringing it—him, here?” Loki spun towards the most senior guard, intent on an answer. 

“W—we did not think—” She stammered, reluctant to answer. The second prince was not known to be as brash as his older brother, but he could be cutting in other ways when displeased. 

“—Clearly. Inform the kitchen that the evening meal is to be delivered early with a variety of foods. It will take some trial and error to find out what he eats.” 

“Yes. Of course.” 

Loki glanced at the bird and back to her. “And bring suitable clothes, something to replace what he’s wearing.” 

“Right away, my prince.” 

The guards were too well practiced to rush out as Loki nodded for their dismissal, but that didn’t mean they didn’t want to. The bird didn’t move from where he stood, his golden brown eyes set on Loki. 

He had the body of a man, with tan skin and choppy, short mahogany colored hair. He was especially fit, and while Loki appreciated that, it was not what had captured his attention. 

Long, crimson colored feathers hung from the man’s back, held by golden wires that criss crossed in an intricate pattern between the gaps in the mechanical wings. The feathers were made of metal, and as Loki took a step forward to investigate, the man did not flinch. His wings, however, did. 

They quivered out nervously to the side, shaking slightly as Loki kept his distance while studying him. The golden rods connected to the feathers vanished into the man’s skin between his shoulder blades. The wings flexed and reacted as if they were organic, mirroring the man’s emotions far better than his face did, but Loki sensed their magic as clear as day. 

Asgard’s forests were home to hundreds of humanoid creatures, but this was the first avian one Loki had seen with mechanical wings. “I don’t suppose you lost your wings,” he breathed out, fascinated. “The craftsmanship of their replacement would be remarkable.” 

“Lost is one way to put it,” Tony mumbled. He hadn’t been sure what to make of the hunting party, but he was highly aware that they’d just dropped him off in a prince’s chambers after dragging him through a forest through the better part of the day. He was also certain that he’d heard the guard tell this Loki guy that he was a gift from his older brother. 

“They look painful,” Loki commiserated, walking behind him again to look and sending another anxious shiver down Tony’s spine.

“They’re not that bad,” Tony answered. He tried to relieve some of the weight from his injured knee, hoping that it was subtle enough that the prince would not notice. He was covered in mud from fighting off the hunters in the forest, but at least his wings were undamaged. 

Loki came around to the front of the man, standing back a few feet. He was dying of curiosity, that much was obvious, but there was something mesmerizing in his eyes as he stared into Tony’s. Tony sensed humor and intelligence there, but more than anything, he was startled by how incredibly vivid the prince’s eyes were. They were almost supernatural, being so green.

Loki carefully extended his hand forward so he wouldn’t spook the bird. 

Tony held his breath when Loki set his hands on his manacles. He gasped when a moment later, the heavy golden weight of them disappeared. “There will be no need for those,” Loki told him, grinning slightly. “Let us get you a bath, shall we?” 

Tony’s wings swept back, held together and higher than usual, tense. Loki’s eyes followed the motion, but his soft hand slid into Tony’s and suddenly Tony found himself following the prince, momentarily comforted by the soft gesture. 

The bath was more of a large stone room with several wash basins and showers in it. Loki set him on a stool. He selected an ornate golden shower head shaped like a flower attached to a long silver hose. “I appreciate it, but I can wash myself, you know,” Tony said. 

Loki flicked the shower head on. 

The warm water felt unbearably nice against his aching muscles. Tony had no idea how tired he was until there was warm water pouring down his back. “Not that this isn’t nice,” Tony mumbled. Okay, it was really fucking nice, alright? No one had touched him in months. He was kind of touch starved. And Loki was gorgeous. “But, uh—” A hand, lathered with soap, glided across his skin, gentle nails digging with just the right amount of pressure against his shoulders. “Ah—” Tony’s wings spread out, stretching with pleasure. 

“I do hope that the water isn’t harmful to your wings,” Loki said. 

“They’re fine.” Tony’s feathers stretched and flexed as Loki lathered his back. 

Maybe this wasn’t such a bad situation to take advantage of. 

He could stick along for the ride until he wasn’t enjoying it anymore, then fly out. “I made them years ago. I lost my real wings in a—” Tony moaned, tilting his neck to the side and smiling as Loki’s hand immediately kneaded the offered spot. “—accident years ago.” 

It felt _amazing_. Tony tilted his head the other way, delighted when Loki did as he wished and kneaded that side. 

Soap bubbles pooled on the floor beneath Tony’s stool as the water winded towards a drain in the center of the room. Tony hadn’t taken off the kilt-like fabric that was wrapped tightly around his hips. It was soaked now, but Tony found himself forgetting about it again as water ran through his hair. 

Loki’s fingernails worked shampoo in circles against his scalp as Tony found his eyes falling shut. 

When was the last time he’d let someone, anyone, dote on him like this? 

When was the last time that anyone had cared to? 

Tony was glad his eyes were shut as he felt the hint of sob. The sound was quickly swallowed by the water, and Tony found himself stretching his wings appreciatively as Loki massaged his neck, rinsing his hair. “So, uh, accident,” Tony said. “I was trying out some experimental mechanics and a few explosions later, no wings. So I made them. Well, my father helped make them,” Tony corrected. “My family works in the mechanical wing business. And it took a few experts to have them implanted because that was a huge challenge and obviously I can’t reach there myself. ” 

Tony lost his train of thought as Loki scrubbed at a stubborn spot of dirt on his shoulder. It gave way to the cut beneath it and Tony’s wings flinched with him. “You’re injured,” Loki muttered, half to himself. “What happened when they found you, hmm?” Distracted, he stepped away to rifle through a collection of jars several feet away. 

“Yeah, well I didn’t exactly expect to come across a hunting party when I was out scavenging, but it happens, I guess? I mean, I wandered way outside my usual zone, and hunters normally don’t seem to go that far out either. Maybe we met in the middle because I’d been camping and traveling for a few days anyway. Though, I mean, no one really visits the Manhattan part of the forest that’s from here. At least, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone visit.” 

Loki uncapped a jar and swiped a salve across the cut. It strung for a split second before being replaced by a warmth that made Tony beat his wings, accidentally. Loki took a step back to avoid being smacked by them, but he was smiling even as water splattered against his tunic. “That works,” he confirmed.

Tony watched, mesmerized as the skin seemed to heal itself instantly. 

“Can you get some of that on my leg?” Tony asked, extending it out and pointing to his knee. 

Loki tilted his head a bit, staring at Tony and then his knee. When Tony didn’t move further, Loki gingerly set his hand on Tony’s knee. 

Tony winced. Even a light bit of pressure hurt, especially now that he was thinking about it and not as hopped up on adrenaline. Loki ran the water over it to make it easier to see the skin, gently examining the injury. “I’m afraid this won’t work on that,” Loki apologized, setting the jar down on the ground. 

He cupped his hands over and under Tony’s injured knee, and for a split second Tony’s heart started to pound, reminding him that hello, he was letting a stranger touch him, that he’d shown him his injury—the warmth from before flooded through Tony’s knee, a surprised groan jumping from his throat. It was replaced by something cooler, and Loki’s hand hovered there for a few moments longer before he stood up. “That should do it,” he announced. 

Tony smiled at his knee like a little kid, flexing his leg. Loki watched him, grinning to himself. He was so unguarded now, so unlike the imperial prince that had been standing there when Tony entered the room. And Tony had to admit, he was really enjoying himself. 

Maybe that was why when Loki didn’t move to continue washing him, Tony grabbed a sponge from beside the stool and started scrubbing his legs. Loki’s eyes didn’t leave Tony, or his smirk. Tony was considering having some fun and making a real show out of it when he looked up and realized that Loki was leaving the bath. 

Tony stared at the closed door, the shower head in his hand splashing noisily against the bathroom floor. Shrugging, Tony freed himself of the drenched fabric that clung to his waist and finished cleaning himself of the dirt and blood that had caked along his skin. He even helped himself to the salve that Loki had used. 

It was incredible. Tony really had to figure out what was in that bottle. And other things about this place, because even the bathroom had stuff Tony’d never seen before, and he wanted to take it apart and figure out how it worked.

Tony hummed. He was kind of coming out ahead here. Hot guy. Nice place. Tons of attention. Maybe he could drag the whole love affair out longer to investigate more of the place and its technology before bailing. 

Just as Tony was debating what to do about being dressed, the door creaked open. Loki had a towel slung over his arm and a set of clothes in his hands. Tony stood as Loki approached him, accepting the towel that Loki extended to him. 

He caught Loki staring as he dried his hair and shot him a lecherous grin. Loki smirked, turning so fast that Tony almost missed it, and starting back towards the door. 

Tony tied the towel around his waist and followed after him, into an extravagant dressing room where Loki directed him to yet another stool. This one was velvet tufted and dry, however. Tony didn’t sit just yet, though. Loki glanced at the towel and then up to Tony’s knowing eyes. Tony smiled at him. 

Loki untied the towel and dropped it on the ground, replacing it with a gauzy, somewhat translucent skirt that was tighter around Tony’s pelvis than he would’ve liked and had long strips of fabric hanging from it. An undergarment had been built into the skirt so that it was more modest than it appeared. The soft red color shimmered with gold beads sewn into the fabric that caught the light. Loki was more clinical about putting it on than Tony would’ve liked. “This is fancy,” Tony said. “But I think I’m into it. Somehow,” he decided. 

“Sit,” Loki said, setting his hand on Tony’s shoulder with a soft downward push. 

“Fine.” He hadn’t seen Loki grab the tiny pots of paint that were now held between his fingers, or the paintbrush he was dipping into one. “What is that?” 

Loki tilted Tony’s head back, painting gold and scarlet around Tony’s eyes and across the bridge of his nose. “I dearly want to give you my colors, but these suit your wings so much better.” Tony blinked as he realized there was glitter in the paint. 

Loki started down his neck, the cool paint more electrifying than it would’ve ordinarily been on Tony’s skin, warm from the bath. The paint brushed over his shoulder blades and gave him goosebumps as it wound around his wings. Tony surprised himself as he held out his arms for Loki to brush lines and circles onto. 

It was kind of kinky, as far as Tony was concerned, but also kind of fascinating. “I don’t think anyone’s ever complimented my wings before,” Tony thought aloud. “Aside from the whole craftsman aspect. Steve even calls me Shellhead, which doesn’t exactly make sense because they’re on my back, you know, but Mr. Eagle Wings thinks he’s hilarious.” Loki knelt down between Tony’s legs to paint his thighs and Tony started to ramble as he felt his cock give an interested lurch at the sight. “Of course my dad gave his boyfriend a new wing kind of like mine, but it’s only the one. Full replacements aren’t the norm, like at all. Probably wouldn’t have been able to replace Bucky’s if we hadn’t learned everything we did from my set. Usually my family just fixes wing problems with mechanics. This wasn’t my usual color pattern to start with, actually. But uh, I’ve kind of played around with the colors over the years as I’ve had to replace the feathers. So you like the red, huh?” Tony asked, staring pointedly at Loki. 

Loki stopped painting the ticklish part of his ankle to glance up at him. He smile was soft but his eyes danced with something Tony couldn’t name. “You look quite mesmerizing like this.” Loki lifted Tony’s foot a little higher. “I think the red and gold suit you well.” 

Tony wasn’t sure if he was blushing, but he felt like it. “Thanks. So uh, if you have colors, why aren’t you wearing any of them? Like, on your face? Or is it just like a me thing or…?” Tony cocked his head to the side. Loki set down his brush and stood up. Tony wondered if he’d said something wrong, or if Loki hadn’t been paying attention. There was a far off look in his eyes as he scanned the room. 

Loki went to a cabinet and returned with a black box. He swiped his thumb against Tony’s chin as he tilted it up with his pointer finger. A thrill swept though Tony as Loki’s thumb caught against the stubble. Then his chin was being pointed downward and a heavy metal circlet was set in his hair. Its weight tugged against Tony’s locks as he looked up at Loki. 

He found himself speechless at the pride in Loki’s expression. A tiny smile twitched at the corner of Loki’s lips and the skin crinkled around his eyes as Tony’s own soft brown ones marveled at him. “Here,” Loki murmured, attaching a dainty series of gold chains to the circlet that hung down the back of his head. 

Tony pressed his lips together as Loki adorned him with necklaces and arm bracelets and anklets, not trusting himself not to say something stupid and ruin the moment. 

Tony had never had someone take care of him and adorn him and act like he was so utterly precious as foreplay before. And the thing was, Tony had just met this guy, but the adoration in his expression was entirely convincing. Tony felt cherished and they’d hardly been together an hour.

He let Loki take his hands and guide him back towards the bedroom with bashful steps. 

Tony felt his arousal building with anticipation as they walked into a lavish bedroom with dozens of bookshelves and a ceiling of glass that showed the stars above. Beside the bed was a seating area with a lush assortment of fruits and pastries on the coffee table. Tony wished that Loki wasn’t wearing such a heavy tunic and set of leathers. They looked complicated to take off and hid too much of his body.

Tony was ready to crawl into bed, but Loki directed him to sit on the couch beside him. “Here,” Loki said. “I’m sure it’s been hours since your last meal.” He set a small pastry in Tony’s hand. 

Tony ate it in one bite. 

Loki reached for another one and Tony found himself admiring the way Loki’s long black hair fell over his shoulder, at the grace in his posture and the subtle smile on his lips. He wondered how those lips would feel against his. 

Suddenly, Loki held a new pastry beside Tony’s cheek. Tony raised an eyebrow. “Thanks,” he said, grabbing it with his hand. Loki watched him eat, then reached for another one. 

This time he brought the pastry to Tony’s lips and Tony found himself turning his head to the side, understanding now. “Yeah, I’m not really into that.” 

Tony picked out a fruit himself, quickly scarfing it down. He was starving now that food was in front of him. 

Loki studied Tony for a moment before reaching for something that looked like a plum. 

Loki cut the plum in two with a dagger that seemed to appear from nowhere. He lifted it to Tony’s lips. 

Tony took it with his hand. “Cute,” Tony said derisively. “Are you going to eat something?” 

Loki just watched him eat with that same tender expression as when he’d been washing Tony. 

Tony wasn’t too fond of the plum. Loki handed him a pink star-shaped fruit. “I am glad to have you here,” Loki said as Tony turned the fruit over in his palm, deciding where to start with it. He took one decisive bite out of the middle. “I have been wanting to keep a pet, and I am thrilled to be given one as gorgeous as you.” 

The sweet fruit went sour and spoiled in Tony’s mouth. 

“I have had interest in taking a familiar, but I have never found a suitable creature before. However, I think you will be a delight to train—”

Tony spit out the fruit. Loki’s eyes went wide, then concerned as Tony started to hack and cough. He shoved Loki’s worried hands away. “Me? A pet?” Tony hissed at him. He got up. 

“You brought me here to be a _pet_?” Tony asked, his voice hurling into a yell. He coughed, the fruit’s juice burning his throat and making his eyes water. Loki’s shock gave way to worry as he rose from the couch. “No,” Tony said, taking a step back. “I should’ve fucking known. I should have fuck-ing known. Here I thought I was going to have a kinky but fun one night stand with some spoiled prince but now I see—”

Somehow Loki had managed to catch Tony’s shoulders. “You’re alright,” he insisted. “You’re alright—”

“No I’m not!” Tony shoved Loki’s hands off his shoulders. 

Loki grabbed another pastry from the tray. “Try this, you’ll see—” He spoke as though comforting a child. 

“Are you serious right now?!”

Tony’s livid eyes were only met with worried, confused ones. “Calm down,” Loki soothed him. “I had no idea you’d be so averse to that food. We’ll try another—”

“—This isn’t about the fruit!” 

Loki’s hands were on his shoulders again, somehow, as if Loki could will him to be calm. There was panic shoved down under the concerned wrinkle of the prince’s brow.

The realization hit Tony like ice water, then filled him with dread as he desperately hoped he was wrong. “Can you understand me?” 

Loki stared at him, expression unchanged. 

“Can you?” Tony asked, almost begged. “Tell me you understand what I’m saying right now.” 

Loki smiled softly at him. “Let’s sit down,” he soothed. “Let’s try something else.” 

“You don’t—you—” Tony knew it was hopeless, and yet he still tried. “Tony,” he said, pointing to himself. “ _I’m Tony._ ” 

Loki took Tony’s momentary numbness to guide him back to sit down on the couch. “There,” Loki said, more confident again. “Let’s try something else—”

Tony was flying up in the air before he realized what he was doing. There was an open skylight above that he could squeeze through, and—

 

Tony woke up on the sofa, fingers combing through his hair. “You’re alright,” the prince cooed. “You’re alright—” Tony squinted. He went rigid as he recognized the room, remembering. Immediately he began to panic, but the prince’s voice faded away and he found himself too sleepy to care.

* * *

“It was the star fruit,” Loki explained to Thor the next morning. “He took one bite of it and then his expression—I’ve never seen such a reaction before. I thought he was on the verge of an allergic reaction.”

“How big of a dent did he put in the ceiling?” Thor asked. 

Loki finished a bite from his breakfast, shaking his head. “The ceiling is fine.” He brushed his hair back behind his ear. “I didn’t think twice about the environment display. I’m accustomed to it.” 

Thor nodded, taking a drink from his glass. “Normally you don’t have birds trying to fly into it.” 

“Well—” Loki sighed. “It’s a dull display of tile now.” He poked at the fruit on his plate. “Although I suppose I could change it back. I’m not sure that I’ll be bringing him to my chambers again until he’s been tamed.” Loki sighed. “He is more feral than I thought.” 

“Where are you keeping him?” 

“The greenhouse in the gardens. He was still sleeping off the spell when I checked on him this morning.” Loki’s eyes narrowed. “Several of his feathers are severely damaged. I attempted to fix them, but the metal is resistant to magic.” 

“I thought you said they reeked of magic.” 

“They do, but—it’s peculiar. I have assigned several pages to researching the feathers and looking for replacements. I’d hoped to have that finished before he woke up, but I doubt that will happen now.” 

Thor shrugged. “He’s a bird. He’ll adjust to it.” Thor frowned, holding his glass halfway to his lips as he considered Loki. “Are you sure you wish to keep him? I did not mean for him to be an inconvenience.” 

Loki nodded. “The familiar matter aside, I would feel guilty releasing him back into the forest now.You should have heard how he chirped when I bathed him. It was charming, how thrilled he was.” Loki reached for his glass. “And heartbreaking,” he added quietly, voice marked by sympathy. Loki combed his hair back behind his ear again. “I had assumed by his wings that he had been a pet before, but there is no record of him. I believe someone gave him new wings and released him back into the forests.” 

Thor frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. “You do not believe that someone got rid of him because he was difficult, do you?” 

Loki shook his head, holding Thor’s worried gaze. “No. He has a kind temperament. I find it hard to believe that he would be abandoned in the woods for that.” 

“Then perhaps it was one of the pet guilds? It would not be unusual for them to heal and release a pet if it were feral.” 

Loki nodded. “I believe so.” He took a sip of his drink. “I have a page calling on them this morning, looking for a record of who created his wings. They are talented. I would like very much to discuss with them how the wings were created.” 

The brothers were quiet for a moment. Then Thor smirked. “He is easy on the eyes.” 

Loki laughed. “I shall have to keep Fandral from him, or I may find myself without a pet.”

* * *

Tony woke up on a chaise sofa, sweltering hot. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, pushing himself to sit up. At first the tropical plants disoriented him, but then he saw the glass enclosure past them and recognized that he was inside of a greenhouse.

On instinct, Tony extended his wings. He didn’t look as he leapt into the air, which was how he found himself crashing into palm leaves, the blades of the plant smacking him in the face and scarping him as he landed in a heap on the ground. 

Tony’s back ached as he pushed himself up, looking back at his wings. Then his heart stopped. 

On his left wing, the primary flight feathers were crushed, broken and bent at odd angles. That wasn’t what scared him, though. 

It was the missing feathers on his right wing. 

Tony pulled that wing as close to him as the appendage would allow. 

The top two feathers were gone. Tony’s heart sank and fear rushed in. Damaged feathers were one thing. Tony could repair those. But missing? 

He reached for the bent and warped feathers below the missing ones on his right wing. The metal was smooth and light under his fingertips. He didn’t have tools to fix them here. He wanted to throw up.

Tony sank down onto the ground, wrapping his wings around himself. 

His wings trembled as he held them closer, terrified and caught in despair. Tony gave himself that moment, to feel terrified and hopeless. 

He forced himself to stand. 

Wasn’t his dad always preaching that Stark men were made of iron? And anyway, Tony wasn’t someone who gave up. He hadn’t given up when he’d lost the entirety of his wings, worse than anything his family had witnessed. He’d been the first of his kind to have an entirely mechanical set of wings, and Tony had largely built and designed them himself. 

He’d figure something out here. He would.

* * *

Tony wasn’t accustomed to walking on foot to explore. In reality, the greenhouse wasn’t that big, but it felt enormous when compared to just flying above to see things all at once.

Naturally, the first thing that Tony looked for was a door. He hadn’t found anything but glass, however, and he’d been around the perimeter twice. Besides the chaise couch, in the center of the greenhouse was a coffee table with lounge chairs and a shallow pool with a fountain running in it. Tony had returned to the chairs. 

They were heavy, with plush velvet padding on the seats. Tony hoped that they’d shatter the glass easily. He was fairly confident they would, but he was still hesitating. 

Once the glass was broken, Tony was sure they’d be alerted to his escape. He couldn’t tell what was beyond the glass. And without the ability to fly, Tony probably wouldn’t get very far. 

He tightened his grip on the back of the chair. 

He steadied himself. He needed to make an escape while he had the element of surprise. Tony took one deep breath and lugged up the chair. “Are you moving that?” 

Tony dropped it in surprise, spinning around to stare wide eyed at Loki. 

Loki smiled softly at him, but his eyes were sharp and knowing. He didn’t move from his spot several feet away, however. He kept his hands clasped behind his back and stared intently at Tony. 

Tony’s wings swept out wide in defense, a natural urge to make himself appear larger. All it did though was draw attention to how wrecked his wings were. 

Pity crossed Loki’s face at the sight and immediately Tony feel ashamed. He’d been getting that look towards his wings his entire life. He didn’t move his wings to make them appear smaller, however. 

Loki took a step forward, his gaze never once leaving Tony’s defiant one. He calculated each step, weighing Tony’s reaction before taking the next one. Tony was grateful that there was chair between him and the man. “Stay back,” Tony warned when he was so close that he could see the pores in Loki’s pale skin. 

Loki withdrew his hands from behind his back. 

Tony was gobsmacked when he saw the pair of primary flight feathers. “I repaired them, pet. I do not mean to clip your wings.” Loki inched a little closer, extending one of the feathers. “Allow me?” 

Tony glared at him, then surprised himself by snatching the feathers from Loki’s hands and taking several steps back. 

They locked into place quickly with Tony’s expert hands. “Not your pet,” Tony said, distracted as he reoriented them. “And the rest of my wing’s fucked so I’m not flying anywhere, not that you understand what I’m saying.” 

Loki gave him an encouraging smile, but his body was tense. Tony wasn’t sure what Loki was thinking. 

Loki sat down on the lounge sofa beside the coffee table. He reached into his pocket and withdrew one of the pastries that Tony had eaten last night. “Will you eat?” Loki asked. 

Tony stared at him for a second before he decided that it was all too much. He couldn’t. He couldn’t deal with this right now. Tony took several steps backwards before retreating into the surrounding plants, putting as much distance between himself and the prince as he could. Then he stayed put.

Tony didn’t hear the prince leave. He listened, but the price disappeared however he had come without a trace. When night fell, Tony could finally see beyond the glass. A twinkling city of light stretched out beyond the gardens that the greenhouse was in. Tony recognized the city from the day before. He’d have the garden for cover when he first escaped, at least. With his mind set on that, Tony returned to the chair from before.

He dragged it through palm leaves and vines until he stood before the glass. Tony’s heart pounded. He hoisted up the chair.

And hurled it at the glass.


	2. Chapter 2

Tony supposed that he’d been discovered in more embarrassing situations in his life, but it was kind of hard to think of them when the prince was staring at him. 

There was a massive purple and blue bruise where the chair had recoiled into Tony’s chest the first time, not that it’d stopped Tony once he’d gotten back up. The chair had eventually broken into three pieces after Tony had run out of creative ways to launch it at the window. 

Loki took several quick, agitated steps towards Tony and Tony jumped out of fear, taking several frantic steps backwards. “What did you do to yourself?” Loki demanded. He moved faster than Tony thought. In seconds he had grabbed Tony and spun him around to examine the bruising across his chest and the bloodied cut on his nose. 

Tony felt the odd warmth tingling through him, but the bruise didn’t heal this time. Loki let out a sigh. “It’s well enough,” he muttered. “You’re going to the vet anyway.” 

“No!” 

Tony didn’t know why he was bothering to argue, but he flared his wings anyway. Loki’s eyebrows pinched together as he grabbed Tony’s wrists, the manacles from before appearing. “I hate to restrain you,” Loki said with such passion that Tony actually believed him, “but you are a danger to yourself, clearly.” Loki turned to look at the maimed chair and the table that Tony had attempted to deconstruct in an effort to escape. 

With a loud sigh he took a step backwards, lurching when Tony planted his feet into the ground. He began to beat his wings, kicking up what he could of a wind. Loki’s hair flew back from his face. Tony laughed.

Being a little shit was actually kind of fun. 

Tony laughed harder, probably out of fear and anxiety this time, his wings beating even faster. Suddenly he found himself flying backwards as Loki released the manacles. Tony hit the ground hard. 

Loki stood over him in an instant, pinning Tony’s wings to the ground with his feet. He stared at Tony’s wings, seemingly at war with himself before he let out a pissy sigh and bent down to snatch Tony up. 

Tony couldn’t figure out how Loki moved so fast, but he’d stood Tony up and manacled Tony’s wings together in the center so they were effectively bound together. They weren’t meant to move in sync sideways, and Tony panicked as he realized that meant that in this position he couldn’t move them at all. 

“Let’s go,” Loki said, his irritation obvious even as he attempted to make it sound sweet. 

“I don’t want to!” Tony shouted, shaking his arms. 

“Stop cawing,” Loki complained. He was stronger than Tony, and suddenly Tony was aware that if he didn’t start walking, Loki could and would drag him along. 

“Your face is stupid!” Tony exclaimed. As he’d expected, there was no reaction. “You wear too much black and it makes you look like Wednesday Addams,” Tony said as he followed after Loki. “And your hair’s greasy so maybe you should’ve washed it in the bath instead of mine—”

Loki stopped abruptly, knocking Tony off balance and catching him just to lean in close and stare into his eyes. “You need to see the vet,” Loki insisted. “Stop. Cawing.” 

Tony stared back at him, unsure of how much he wanted to push his luck. The guy was good at making daggers appear out of nowhere and he moved freakishly fast, plus there wasn’t a whole lot of patience in his expression. None, really. 

Loki seemed satisfied because he leaned away and started walking them again. 

“Butthead,” Tony muttered. 

Loki touched a spot on the glass that made a door appear, leaving Tony speechless.

*** 

Loki was careful to protect his bird’s wings as they walked through the door of the vet’s office. There were no other clients present, which Loki strongly suspected was more the result of the vet deciding to clear the schedule when royalty visited than having a slow practice. Immediately the receptionist behind the counter greeted him.

“Prince Loki, it is an honor to have you here. If you would please sign in your pet, we have just a small amount of paperwork for you to look over.” 

Loki walked to the counter, noticing the way his pet gawked at the room. Perhaps he had not been inside many buildings, then. 

“This is a consent for treatment form,” she said, placing the paper in front of him. Loki scanned it in seconds, then signed his name at the bottom. “And the bottom one is for your pet’s profile.” Loki nodded, already beginning to fill it out. The receptionist smiled at his pet, her eyes bright. “I apologize, but I don’t seem to have your pet’s name on file.” 

Loki turned to look at the bird, considering him. “Ruby.” 

His bird let out a loud squawk, his mouth dropping open as he stared at Loki. 

The receptionist smiled indulgently. “I think he just figured out where he is.” 

“I’m not certain if he has been to a vet before,” Loki said, finishing the rest of the form and handing it off to her. His pet had squawked and chirped the whole way there, laughing intermittently to himself. Loki had tuned it out surprisingly fast. The receptionist set the paper on a clipboard. Then they both turned to stare as Ruby grabbed a loose piece of paper from the desk and preceded to scribble all over it. 

Loki blinked. It was just a mess of scrawling lines, much like an extremely young child’s. 

The receptionist was positively fawning over Ruby, though. “He’s mirroring,” she cooed. At Loki’s uncertain expression she explained, “They often imitate their owner's behaviors. That’s great. It means he likes you.” Ruby threw the pen on the ground. “Are you done?” She asked him in baby tones. Ruby glared at her. She grabbed the paper and handed it to Loki. “You should hold onto that,” she told him, rising up from the desk. “Right this way.” 

She lead Loki to a spacious exam room. 

“Doctor Strange will be right with you,” she said. “You can have your pet sit on the exam table if you’d like.” 

Loki nodded. 

He released his pet, using magic to lock the exterior door. He wasn’t surprised when his pet went to the opposite end of the room, as if he was somehow standing in the corner would disguise him. It was only a moment before the vet entered from the door of the back office. 

“Prince Loki,” he said, bowing. “Thank you for waiting. I apologize that I could not simply come to the palace instead of forcing you to go all this way—”

Loki waved him off, having grown bored of the pandering to his nobility centuries ago. “I would much prefer to treat him in a facility that has everything he needs.” 

Dr. Strange nodded. “Thank you. I understand that you wished for me to examine his wings?” Loki nodded. Ruby left the corner to stalk around the exam table, pointedly ignoring them both. “Do you know how old he is?” 

Loki shook his head. “I suspect that he was someone’s pet due to his wings, but there is no record of him.” 

“He could’ve been a catch and release.” The doctor crossed his arms, frowning at the bird. “Since we don’t know his history, I would like to do a full examination to see what state of health he is in. We can also look at his wings. I can tell you from here that they weren’t a pair that I’ve done, but I have seen wings like these in smaller pets. Since he’s a humanoid, he was probably released after he recovered. They’re not exactly a low maintenance pet. Many people get them and release them once they realize how much work is involved.” 

“Can you repair his wings?” Loki asked. 

“Absolutely.” The doctor acted like it was beneath him, which rubbed Loki the wrong way. As obnoxious as Strange was though, he had a good reputation, and Loki could study the magic that was used on Ruby to do the repairs later himself. “How did he receive that bruising?” 

“I discovered this morning that he’d destroyed the furniture in his enclosure,” Loki said without humor. “It appears that he injured himself in the process.” Loki blamed himself for not removing the furniture from the enclosure.

They both watched Ruby with crossed arms and pensive expressions. Ruby frowned back at both of them. He set his hand on a glass jar filled with cotton swabs. He slowly pushed it to the edge, watching them watching him. With one decisive shove it fell and shattered on the ground. 

“His destructive tendencies may be due to separation anxiety or boredom,” the vet suggested. 

Loki waved his hand, the glass reforming and floating up onto the counter again with the cotton swabs safely tucked inside. “When I first—”

Ruby freaked at the glass jar, stumbling backwards and tripping so that Loki had to catch him from his seat. He did not let go, holding the squirming bird in his lap and pinning his wings against his chest to try and immobilize him as much as possible. “When I first got him, he was extremely even tempered. Then I fed him star fruit—” He was cut off by his pet’s squawking. 

“Set him on the exam table,” Dr. Strange said. 

Loki hauled him up onto the table. Ruby cawed and complained, trying to hop off the table. Loki ran his fingers through his pet’s hair, trying to soothe him.“That was when he had the initial injury. He has not trusted me since.” 

“He probably associates you with the negative experience,” Dr. Strange said as he set his stethoscope on. 

“And this will improve that,” Loki drawled. 

The vet shrugged as he listened to Ruby’s chest. “I’m going to give him a mild sedative spell so he doesn’t injure himself during this exam,” he said. “He’ll be a little drowsy for the rest of the day, but it won’t knock him out. Is that alright?” Loki nodded. There was a flicker of orange and then they both let go. Loki shook his head as he watched Ruby sit for the vet without making a fuss this time. The vet set his stethoscope against Ruby’s back for a moment before removing it. 

“I would like to heal the bruising across his chest as much as possible today,” Loki said as the vet continued his exam. Ruby looked sleepy as the vet tested the reflexes in his knee. It would’ve been adorable if Loki hadn’t been tense with concern.

“That shouldn’t be a problem. However, I am going to strongly suggest that you clip his wings for now.” 

“Absolutely not.” 

Dr. Strange was not flustered by the sharp snap in Loki’s tone. He held Loki’s gaze for a moment. “Do you see the state that he is in now?” Loki set his jaw. Of course he knew what state the bird he was in, and he felt immensely guilty over it. “If you do not clip his wings, he will continue to fly into walls and windows. He is, quite frankly, a danger to himself.” 

Loki knew he was right, as much as he hated it. “He is a bird. He is meant to fly.” Loki took a deep breath. “It will break his spirit to be grounded.” 

“I will repair his feathers and return them to you,” Dr. Strange compromised. It was difficult to tell if he felt sympathy, however. “When he is tame, I will assist you in reattaching them, but for now, I would absolutely not allow him to go unclipped.” Loki frowned. He wasn’t sure if he felt more guilty about how injured Ruby had become in the single full day under his care, or the realization that he was going to be stealing Ruby’s freedom from him by clipping his wings. “You are fortunate that he only damaged the feathers and not the entire structure of the wing.” 

Loki curled his hands at his sides, flexing them uncomfortably. He knew that. 

“Many owners find that their birds form deeper attachments with them by having their wings clipped.” Dr. Strange directed Ruby to lay on his back so that he could palpate his stomach. “It will take time to tame him. Do not add flight into the equation when he is already so injured.” 

Loki hated that Dr. Strange was right, but he was. Ruby was in a pitiful condition, and Loki had a responsibility to make him better. “Is there anything I can do to smooth out the process of taming him?” 

As the vet began to list a series of suggestions, Ruby rolled his head towards Loki. He stuck his tongue out. Loki found himself smiling and trying to hide it. Ruby’s impishness vanished though as the vet had Loki undo the manacles on his wings. 

Ruby quivered as they spread his wings out on the exam table. Loki combed his fingers through Ruby’s hair as the vet examined the first set of damaged feathers. Ruby’s eyes fell shut while Loki massaged his scalp. 

Loki had Dr. Strange explain the magical process for repairing the feathers. It wasn’t nearly as difficult a process as implanting the wings would’ve been, but it was still a time consuming and intricate task. Avian humanoids were not common pets, and ones with mechanics in their wings were practically unheard of. “Ordinarily, we only perform these sorts of procedures to assist broken portions of wings. Having the entire set be mechanical is something else.” 

“It is hard for me to imagine that the mage who performed this surgery would willingly let such a stunning piece of work go,” Loki confessed. 

Dr. Strange nodded his head to the side. “Performing the art and maintaining it are two different things.” He pursed his lips at the wings. “And I’d say that he’s had these for a long time. For all we know, it could’ve been an experimental procedure performed for research.” 

“He is an avian humanoid though,” Loki questioned. 

“Yeah,” Dr. Strange said, scoffing slightly. Loki clenched his teeth at his arrogance but said nothing. “If you look here you can see the scars from his former wings.” Loki leaned forward. 

There were in fact a thin line of scars beneath the mechanical wings, but Loki would not have recognized the difference. 

“They have varying color patterns,” Dr. Strange continued. “It differs from individual to individual, but judging by his eyes and hair I would imagine that originally his wings were brown as well.” Ruby let out an impatient huff. Loki muttered to him, rubbing behind his ears. He grinned slightly in response, his wings relaxing.

“They can become territorial in the spring, so keep that in mind for next year,” Dr. Strange said. Loki nodded. 

Loki had to turn away as the doctor removed the primary flight feathers, but his hand did not leave his pet’s hair. Sometimes during the procedure Loki thought Ruby was sleeping, only for a tremor to strike his body and his eye bat open before closing again as Loki spoke to him. 

Dr. Strange gave him the feathers. Loki immediately tucked them away in a pocket dimension for safe keeping. He felt immensely guilty as he watched the vet work his magic on the bruising across his pet’s chest and nose. He found other bruising in Ruby’s arm to heal that Loki had not noticed. 

When the vet was satisfied with his work he took a step back from the exam table. “I believe he should be in good shape now.” He began charting as he spoke to Loki. “I would estimate his age to be in the 400’s. They live to be about fifteen hundred, sometimes more. Avian humanoids take on the traits of some bird species. You should see him preening often and he may enjoy music. He also may bite.” 

On cue, Ruby let out an undignified squawk. He sat up, glaring at the vet, who couldn’t have cared less. Dr. Strange continued, “He will scream, chatter, and whistle. They love drama, so try not to indulge his negative behavior or his vocalizations will become more frequent and aggressive. And I tell all of my pet owners with humanoid pets—remember, he’s only humanoid. Try not to project your feelings onto him. He is more bird than human.” 

Loki stared, straight lipped at the man. 

Dr. Strange continued. “You can try darkening or covering his enclosure with a blanket to calm him as well. Are you considering getting him fixed?” Ruby flinched. 

Loki shook his head. “Not for now, though I also don’t intend to get another bird for him to mate with.” Ruby was getting restless so Loki wanted to wrap things up. “Is there anything else he needs to have done today?” 

The vet shook his head. 

Loki thanked him and took the reading materials he was given. As he walked Ruby out of the office, the bird drowsy and making odd faces, Loki stared back at his wings. 

Loki felt hollow staring at the missing feathers.

* * * 

Tony actually felt a sense of relief when he found himself in the greenhouse again.

Loki led him to the shallow pool and guided him to sit in the surprisingly warm water. He filled a watering can in the fountain and used it to bathe Tony, scrubbing his scalp with shampoo until it was thick with white foam. 

Tony didn’t speak. He closed his eyes as the watering can was emptied over his head. 

Loki began to wash his neck, massaging the muscles there. “I apologize, pet,” he muttered. “I cannot have you flying into walls and hurting yourself.” 

The makeup ran down Tony’s skin, coloring the water pink. 

Loki’s handling of him all day had been less yielding and far more assertive than the first night, but Tony supposed that came with the whole causing destruction thing. The vet had given Loki a list of toys for “enrichment”, including bells and a mirror.

Tony realized it was all kind of hilarious, but he wasn’t feeling it. 

Loki massaged his shoulders, digging his thumbs into the stiff spots. “Many years ago,” Loki said quietly, kneading Tony’s biceps and scrubbing away the painted makeup, “I was locked in the dungeons for one of my—tricks.” He softly clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, holding Tony’s biceps in a steady grip. “I could not help but think of that today, pet, seeing your wings.” 

Loki grabbed the water pail, rinsing the soap from him. “When you are tame, they will be returned to you. I—dislike seeing you without them.” 

Tony blinked. Some of the depressive fog cleared from his mind. 

Here he was thinking he’d never see his feathers again, but the guy was saying this was _temporary_. He just had to prove that he was tame, whatever the hell that meant. 

Well if the vet had set the bar at just not biting people, it should be pretty easy. 

He realized that Loki’s hands were on his chest, carefully checking the healed skin. Tony almost felt guilty when he looked back and saw the guilt and worry on Loki’s face. Tony sighed. This was a weird situation, and it was only getting weirder.

“I cannot keep bathing you in your garments,” Loki muttered to himself. “You will just have to acclimate to magic, especially since—” 

Tony sat there, but nothing was said. He was waiting too long. Tony turned to look back over his shoulder and immediately wished that he hadn’t. 

Prince Loki looked miserable, and Tony had no idea why. Tony immediately turned back around. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do. Hell, he couldn’t even crack a joke because hello, the guy couldn’t understand him. 

He felt Loki’s sigh against his skin, and then Loki stood up and refilled the watering can at the fountain. When he turned around he hadn’t hidden his unhappiness, but it was mixed with resignation. 

Tony knew it was because Loki thought of him as a pet, but it was still disorienting to see the guy’s unguarded emotions when he was so vastly different in public. 

Tony also would’ve liked it if Loki had been staring at his scandalous skirt thing with lust instead of that miserable expression. 

He didn’t want to find out what magic was going to feel like removing the thing, so Tony stood up and peeled it off himself. Loki watched him in surprise, but Tony turned his back to him to drop the soaking wet and heavy thing on the ground before sinking back down into the pool and scrubbing his legs himself. 

Loki let Tony bathe himself, and like before, Tony found himself alone after a while. When he’d gotten the last of the makeup from his skin, Tony began to wash his wings. 

It wasn’t that they needed to washed. They were a hell of a lot more durable than Loki or that vet guy had given him credit for, and they were insane if they thought the mechanics that were imbedded into his skin would break the way his feathers did. 

Tony just needed them clean after a day of being touched. 

After a while Loki returned, holding a towel and a fresh set of clothes. 

Tony got out of the shallow pool, taking the towel from Loki. He dried himself off, fussing with his remaining feathers and drying himself twice just to feel less touched and prodded. 

He wasn’t surprised when Loki moved to dress him, but Tony didn’t make an issue of it either. 

This time Loki dressed him in a simple pair of red shorts that were made of a stretchy material, and Tony felt pretty confident guessing that it was because Loki figured this was what Tony was the least likely to injure himself in. 

To be fair, Tony had torn off two of the strips from his last garment in his escape attempt the night before. 

 

When Loki had finished dressing his bird, the bird looked up at him with mournful brown eyes. Loki knew his demeanor was partly due to the sedative spell, but he knew absolutely that his pet was distraught over the loss of his full wings. 

Loki combed his fingers through the bird’s hair, grasping it at the back and tilting his head slightly before bending down and pressing a kiss to his forehead. 

His magic ached to seep into the bird, to claim him familiar and make him theirs. Loki couldn’t recall ever feeling such an intense longing. 

“Please forgive me little bird,” Loki muttered into his hair, comforted by the spiced fragrance of the shampoo he’d used. 

Ruby’s wings sunk to the ground, no longer out and alert. 

Loki breathed in, allowing himself a moment to soak in the contentment before stepping back. 

He would find a way to tame this bird no matter what it took.


	3. Chapter 3

Tony had the chaise lounge to sleep on, but all of the other chairs were removed from the greenhouse. Tony woke up in the early morning hours when the sun had just begun to creep over the horizon. He immediately set to work. 

The most ideal scenario was that Tony got his feathers back and then busted out. He’d cover a hell of a lot more ground flying than running, but Tony wasn’t going to hold out on the feathers. If he got the chance to escape on foot, he would. The night before he’d touched the glass as Loki had for the exit door, but nothing had happened. Now the glass was foggy from all of his handprints. This morning he would dig. 

It turned out that the greenhouse had a thick cement base below the windows. Tony wasn’t able to dig through that, but once he’d realized it was there he started planting the seeds of plants he recognized and knew to be fast growers right up against the concrete. With some luck, some of them might grow roots that weakened the cement beneath the windows enough that he could break it. One of the things Tony planted was a tree, though it made his stomach hurt to think he’d be here long enough for that gamble to pay off. 

Plants weren’t exactly his primary choice for creating things, but he could improvise. The sun was up when Tony heard shuffling and spun around to see an elderly man entering through the glass.

Tony hid in a bush, watching. 

After a couple of minutes it became clear that the man was a gardener. He was watering plants and inspecting their leaves. He looked kind, so Tony emerged from the brush. “Hello,” Tony said with his most charming smile. Surely this guy would like him, right? 

The kindly old man image was brushed away from Tony’s mind like dust when he saw the man’s expression. “You,” he spat, pointing towards the tree limbs Tony had snapped to dig with. “Bad bird!” He raised his hand as if to strike Tony and Tony jumped back. 

“Well fuck you too,” Tony scowled. 

The old man glowered at him before returning to watering his precious plants. 

Tony returned to the bushes, but the moment that the old man started walking towards the door, he followed. The man pressed his hand to the glass and it flashed before the pane vanished entirely and he walked through. Tony moved to follow, lightning fast, but the moment he hit the empty space he was knocked back by something invisible. 

He coughed, sitting up. The old man was shaking his head, and an array of golden light was glinting where Tony had just struck the invisible spot. After a few moments, glass reappeared in its place. 

Tony was as curious about that as he was pissed about not escaping. 

Tony picked at the spot and studied it, but he couldn’t figure out anything past simple observation. So he went to work on his next plan, tearing apart the gardener’s precious plants to spell out a help signal on the ground so that maybe Loki would wake up and realize Tony wasn’t a fucking bird. 

 

Loki came to the greenhouse in the late afternoon, carrying a tray of food. He paused when he spotted Ruby in the center of a very elaborate arrangement of plants from the greenhouse. 

“Ruby.” Loki frowned over the platter of food, his eyebrows bowing in sympathy as his eyes filled with pity. “There are no other birds for you here to see your nest.” He hadn’t realized that his bird would make elaborate courtship structures the way the songbirds in the gardens did in the spring. Loki scanned the greenhouse. He’d heard, indirectly, that the gardener was irate that Loki was keeping his pet here. 

The gardener knew better than to say anything to Loki, but by the way Ruby had torn apart his beloved plants, Loki realized he may have a point. He sighed, ignoring Ruby’s nest and making his way over to the chaise lounge. 

He conjured the coffee table to set the tray onto and another chair for himself. Behind him he heard Ruby caw in surprise. 

Loki clenched his teeth. He’d always imagined that a familiar of his would revel in his magic, not be spooked by it. Somehow, the realization that his familiar was unreceptive to his magic hurt more than the Asgardian populace that secretly mocked him for it. 

His soon-to-be familiar. Loki was holding back. 

Familiars were uncommon, if not outright rare. If Loki established a familiar bond with this bird and it never tamed, that bond would still be there, dysfunctional and detrimental for both of them. That was not a chance that Loki was willing to take. Loki sighed, running his fingers through his hair. He couldn’t allow his magic to bond with the bird until he knew for certain that their partnership would work. 

The platter rattled. Loki turned to see that Ruby had snatched a sandwich from it. The bird locked eyes with him, chowing down the sandwich with an antagonistic look in his eyes. “I’m sorry that there are no other birds here,” Loki consoled him. “Your kind is not exactly common.” 

Tony glared at him. “There are tons of us. Just lucky for us none of you all go that far into the forest.” Tony grabbed the entire tray, careful not to lose eye contact. “Morons,” he muttered derisively. 

Ruby retreated into the plants with the tray. Loki was disappointed, but it gave him an opportunity to survey the damage in the greenhouse. Loki ran his thumb over the leaf of a tropical tree, grimacing at just how much his pet had managed to do in a day. 

He could not fault the gardener for being angry. 

He’d have to relocate the bird. 

 

Ruby was far less receptive to moving than Loki had anticipated. He made himself impossible to catch, and at one point Loki was running through the bushes with leaves smacking against him left and right while sweat dripped under his leathers as his bird let out a whooping laugh in the distance. 

He was faster than Ruby, of course. Once Ruby ran out of hiding spots and foliage, Loki grabbed him and then proceeded with the painstaking task of leading him to the greenhouse that Loki had had built just for him. The only reason he didn’t magic Ruby there was because he was trying not to let the bird associate magic with negative things. 

He supposed that he’d let the bird live in the first greenhouse too long, but it’d taken a couple weeks to build the new one and by that time the gardener wasn’t hiding his displeasure at the way Loki’s pet built small tools that he used to attempt escapes. Loki sighed. 

It was obvious that he had a clever bird. Sometimes it even seemed as though his bird was talking to him, gesturing at him and running through a gambit of expressions as he cawed and screeched. Loki had even sent the vet an inquiry, only to be given an explanation as though Loki were a parent that thought his child was a genius, just like every single other parent that thought their child was a genius. 

When Loki released his bird into the new exclosure, he watched as several different emotions warred through his bird’s wings, even as his face kept stiff and impassive. Curiosity, apprehension, intrigue, sadness, excitement. Loki would’ve felt them even more vividly if he’d allowed the bond to form. Ruby looked back at him over his shoulder and held his gaze for a while. 

Ruby stretched out his wings. He flapped them, ineffectively, looking mournfully towards Loki as he did it. 

Loki’s hand flinched as he avoided placing it over his chest. He ached to see Ruby longing to fly. He reached into his pocket, withdrawing the latest gadget to spoil Ruby with. 

“Here Ruby,” Loki said softly, extending his hand with the pocket watch facing upwards. Ruby walked up to him, cocking his head as he looked at the watch. His soft brown eyes were bright and expressive as always. Ruby’s head bent forward as he reached for the item, and Loki’s hand immediately found his way into his pet’s hair, dragging through the growing curls. His magic purred in absolute contentment. Giving Ruby trinkets to play with was the only time he allowed Loki the contact he craved, and naturally Ruby had a growing collection. 

Loki held his breath as Ruby drew his head away, the soft hair sliding from beneath his fingers. “Would you like to walk with me and explore, pet?” Ruby’s wings flared. Loki turned away, knowing that stubborn look far better than he liked. 

The new enclosure was six times the size of the greenhouse, with a small, treehouse-like home in one of the corners. From its balcony, Loki would be able to watch as his pet explored the new enclosure. It also had a kitchen and a bedroom. The kitchen was for Loki, of course. He expected that his pet would figure out the sink in no time, but the stove was enchanted so that only Loki could use it. The bathroom was fitted with a bath, shower, and adjacent dressing room. The bedroom had a large bed that Loki expected would become a nest quite quickly. 

The treehouse was incredibly cramped compared to what Loki was used to, but he hoped that it would acclimate his pet to more civilized living spaces. He made his way to sit on the balcony, walking leisurely through the foliage and hoping the whole time that his pet would follow. He didn’t. 

 

Tony cracked open the back of the pocket watch the moment Loki’s back was turned. Tony plucked out several of the gears with glee. They were perfect.

He was fucking pissed about being relocated, but at least the stupid gardener wouldn’t be here. Or at least that’s what Loki had said, although Tony imagined someone would be tasked with taking care of the plants. He wouldn’t.

Tony had lost a lot of his improvised tools in the move, but he’d grabbed the most important thing. A small device that would become a bomb when he got enough components. It was tucked down into his garments, and fortunately today Tony was wearing a light tunic that had just enough fabric to conceal the tellingly geometric bulge in his pants.

He had that Loki guy wrapped around his finger, as far as bringing him presents went. The first time that Tony had shown interest in a device in Loki’s hand, Loki had given it to him as a toy, desperate to be in his good graces. Tony had figured out how to get Loki to give him more “toys” pretty quickly. Tony just allowed the guy to pet his hair like a good little pet and wha-la, new item. Usually pouting over his wings got Loki to give him something, and Tony didn’t feel bad taking advantage of the horrific guilt on Loki’s face as he did it. 

Tony hadn’t bitten anyone, but he hadn’t become buddy-buddy with Loki either. For one thing, Loki visited at random intervals. Sometimes Tony would guess right about his schedule, but other times it was a surprise. The guy was busy, which Tony figured came with being a prince and all. 

Tony had tried to communicate with the guy, but he was dense and Tony was tired of trying. Sometimes he thought he saw doubt in Loki’s eyes, like he was starting to realize that something was wrong, but then Loki would come back the next day with a different attitude. 

Tony explored the new enclosure, winding around through trees and bushes. There were paths throughout the crafted forest. He’d spotted the house in the corner right away, and he longed to go explore inside it, but Loki had been sitting on the balcony for a couple of hours with a cup of tea in his hands and a pensive look on his face. 

Eventually, Tony got sick of waiting. He’d mapped the new place out and found several ideal joints in the building’s enclosure. When the time was right, he’d detonate the bomb and make his escape through the hole that it left. For now he was bored and he couldn’t work with Loki there, so he took a deep breath and steeled himself before heading towards the stairs. 

 

“Good evening, Ruby.” Loki smiled softly at him. He didn’t move as though he was afraid of spooking Tony. 

Tony stared at him for a moment before going inside the house. 

It was nice. Really nice, actually. There was a sink and a bathroom and a bedroom…Tony’s stomach clenched as another thought occurred. Loki had said the whole enclosure was his, but what if he’d meant that the greenery was Tony’s and the house itself was Loki’s? Would he be living here all the time? 

Tony heard footsteps and spun around, eyes wide. “Oh,” Loki said, unhappy. “I know these sorts of structures are new to you, but I’d hoped that you’d like having a house of your own.” 

Tony forgot his indignation over the first bit as relief hit him over the second. It was his. 

“You’ll need to get used to it,” Loki said quietly. He walked away, into the kitchen. Tony heard the sink turn on, then a kettle being placed on the stove as he stood in the bedroom, heart pounding. 

The greenhouse had felt temporary, but a house and Loki saying that—suddenly it seemed too permanent, too fast. Tony glanced back towards the doorway before giving into the urge to dive into the bed and bury himself in the covers. 

It felt like ages since he’d laid in something so nice. It was infinitely better than sleeping on the chaise lounge at night. Tony curled the blankets around himself, burying himself beneath the thick comforters and squeezing his eyes shut. Distantly, he heard a kettle whistling. 

At least he had a house now? But that—that wasn’t important. He already had a home. Howard was probably looking for him. He was probably accusing someone of kidnapping his son if he wasn’t accusing Tony of being a runaway. Rhodey would be looking for him though. Tony knew that for certain.

He drew his wings in closer to his body, grasping the gold metal arches that would hold his primary feathers again someday. 

Maybe he’d make them blue this time, like his natural wings had been. He could paint his natural patterns on over the blue, make them less overtly mechanical again. Tony breathed in, comforted by the scent of himself trapped beneath the heavy blankets. 

He had just started to drift off when he felt the mattress dip beside him. 

Tony flinched. He held still, trying not to move. 

“I know this has not been an easy adjustment,” Loki spoke quietly, as if comforting a small child, though Tony thought it was more to comfort himself than Tony. “That is my fault. I have not known how to care for you, and I have had to seek guidance. I should never have changed your home so much.” 

Tony huffed. Loki had no idea what he was talking about. 

“Ruby,” Loki murmured, longing to reach out and touch his form beneath the blankets. “Allow me to share magic with you.” It was a plea, as much as it wounded Loki’s pride to say. He clutched his mug of tea tighter. Here he was, pleading with his familiar to accept him. He felt pathetic and wrong. Had any mage failed to connect with their familiar as spectacularly as he had? Another personal shortcoming, then. “Perhaps if you are comfortable in your new home here, I can return your wings to you. I hope that you can fly to this place when it pleases you.” 

A muffled sound came from beneath the blankets. 

“Trust me, Ruby. Please. I do not wish any harm to come to you.” 

Tony stared at the muted light coming through the fibers of the blanket. He knew this Loki guy was torn up over his wings, he’d been manipulating him with that for a couple weeks now. Now it was obvious that Loki knew Tony didn’t like him. Tony let out a huff. 

Naturally he’d been pissed with the guy, but now it occurred to him that he’d been overlooking a potential path to escape, and he always liked for his backups to have backups. 

Tony pushed back the blankets, turning to look at Loki. 

Loki watched him with startled surprise that curiosity quickly replaced. He set his tea down on the nightstand, hoping against hope that he’d be allowed to brush his fingers through the bird’s hair. 

Loki held his breath as Ruby crawled towards him on the bed, his intelligent eyes giving away nothing as his wings drew back. “Here Ruby,” Loki breathed, extending out his hand. 

Loki’s heart ached as Ruby ignored his extended hand, crawling closer. Suddenly he was straddling Loki’s hips, pressed against his lap as he lazily wrapped his arms around Loki’s shoulders. Loki gawked at him, baffled by the sudden change. Ruby smiled at him, as gorgeous and charming as ever. 

Loki took a breath and found that it was shaky. Ruby let out a low, rumbling chirp, holding eye contact as he spoke. Loki wished more than anything that he could understand the bird, knowing it was foolish as there was no translation to be made. 

He was afraid to move, to ruin the moment of his pet’s contact and the happy grin on his face. 

Ruby let out a warbling chirp, his wings making an odd motion that Loki was unfamiliar with. Ruby’s gaze drifted down Loki’s face and he leaned in closer, his breath warm against Loki’s skin. 

Loki’s magic was frantic, singing and euphoric at the proximity. It swirled around the bird, clamoring and begging Loki to bind him. Loki tilted his head back and to the side, away from Ruby’s lips, still aware of the vet’s warning that he may bite. 

Ruby huffed then and buried his face in Loki’s neck. “Oh—” He held Ruby to his chest, wrapping his arms around the bird. Finally, _finally_ , Ruby was seeking comfort from him. “Ruby,” Loki muttered. “You precious little charmer.” He combed his fingers though Ruby’s hair, relishing the way Ruby melted against him. “So gorgeous, so good,” he murmured, holding him to his chest. 

Ruby let out a pleased chirp at the soft praise, so Loki continued. Ruby’s arms tightened around his neck as he nuzzled in more against Loki’s neck. Loki broke into a smile, so relieved he wanted to cry. It was alright. Ruby was going to be alright. Things were changing, things were getting better—he felt something hard brush against his thigh and suddenly, abruptly realized that Ruby was rocking his hips against him, his arousal as clear as day. 

“Ruby!” Tony found himself sprawled back on the mattress as Loki pushed him away with a surprising amount of force. Loki’s face was bright red. He had already scrambled off the bed and grabbed his mug of tea, gripping it so tightly that Tony waited for it to shatter. “Just because—” Loki started, angry. He reigned himself in, struggling to bring his voice down before trying again. “I confused you. Just because I am in your bed does not mean—” Tony wasn’t sure if he should feel victorious or ashamed or irked at just how flustered and embarrassed Loki was. “Bad,” he scolded. “I am not a mate.” 

At that Loki left, his footsteps heavy on the stairs outside. 

Tony let his head fall back against the mattress, letting out a sigh. He reached down and grabbed himself. 

Loki _was_ good looking, and Tony hadn’t realized how fucking touch starved he was until now. He wondered if Loki was actually a kisser, or if he’d read right that Loki wasn’t. Tony didn’t mind too much if he wasn’t, not that he thought he’d ever find out now. Disappointed, Tony imagined for the first time that first night he’d met Loki ending in the sheets in the bedroom, Tony being dominant as hell as Loki writhed in overwhelmed ecstasy. 

 

Tony wasn’t surprised when Loki didn’t show up the next day. He scarfed down the food in the cabinets and worked on recreating the tools he’d lost. 

 

Loki appeared the following day, looking much more self-assured than the day that Tony had last seen him. Tony happened to be lounging on one of the couches in the enclosure, surrounded by plants, a coffee table, and another chaise lounger (both of which had been securely fastened to the floor, vexing Tony). 

Tony stopped playing with the remnants of the pocket watch and stretched out on the couch in an alluring pose instead, flashing his wings. 

He muffled a laugh as Loki immediately looked away. “We are going to play a game today, Ruby.” Loki announced, drawing a ball from nothingness in the air. Tony let out a surprised gasp. Loki frowned at that, then turned to Tony with determination. “We are going to toss this ball back and forth. Once you get the hang of that, I will slowly start to apply magic to the ball, changing its course as it travels to you to make you more comfortable with magic and—my using it,” Loki added, a bit reluctantly. 

Not to be deterred, he gently tossed the ball within Ruby’s reach.

Tony stared at the ball.

Several possibilities ran through his head. 

He could have the immensely satisfying experience of lobbing it at Loki. The guy was fast though. He’d dodge it.

He could ignore it completely. 

He could also toss it back at Loki and work on convincing the guy to return his wings, if that promise was any good.

Tony stared at the ball for so long that Loki came back, retrieved it, and threw it again before Tony made a decision. 

He was bored out of his fucking mind here. At least the day would pass faster. 

Tony picked it up and tossed it back. 

Loki lit up, tossing the ball again. 

Tony threw it back.

They did it again.

And again.

Loki just stared at Tony for a moment. Then he grinned, prideful. “You are more clever than Strange gives you credit for,” he gloated. “He said this would take several days of training, the fool.” 

Giddy, Loki tossed the ball, but this time he allowed it to vanish and reappear after a few seconds on the same trajectory. 

Ruby was wearier of it this time, turning it over in his hands and examining it before tossing it back. 

Loki used his magic again, altering the color of the ball before tossing it. 

Once again, Ruby examined the ball before tossing it back. 

Loki was ecstatic. He tried more and more tricks, altering the ball in a dozen different ways until Ruby stopped checking it and just started tossing it back. Loki could tell when Ruby was growing bored of the game, although he was still elated by Ruby’s growing comfort with his magic. 

“We’ll play again tomorrow,” Loki promised. He vanished the ball away. “Would you care to eat, pet?” He conjured an assortment of pastries. 

Loki considered feeding them to his bird, but had second thoughts. He shouldn’t push his luck. 

Instead they sat down at the chairs together. Ruby ate a couple pastries as Loki praised him before abruptly standing and leaving. Loki’s heart sank as he stared at the trees Ruby had disappeared behind. 

He’d try again tomorrow.

 

After a couple days, they established a routine. Loki would come and play ball, complicating the tricks with his magic and adding on new tasks for Ruby to complete. Sometimes Loki brought paper for Ruby to draw on, although he appeared to get frustrated with his drawings no matter how much Loki praised them. The scribbles covered the paper in loops and squiggles, creating complete nonsense. Still, Loki was proud of Ruby. In the evenings Loki would brag to Thor about how much Ruby was progressing. Thor tuned him out after the first day, absently agreeing with Loki that he was the smartest bird in the nine.

Tony would play Loki’s games as long as he stayed, sometimes amused and sometimes angry at the way Loki fawned over his perceived progress and skill. Once day Tony started to write out the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, thinking that would spark something, but Loki didn’t change at all. He only complimented the blue crayon that Tony had used. Still, more and more Tony stayed when Loki would put out food as a reward. Tony hated how much he missed having company. On one of the days Loki went off on a rant about the court, and Tony found himself genuinely enjoying how Loki verbally eviscerated them. He wished Loki were more like that. It made him interesting. Most of the time though, Loki didn’t speak too much, and it always seemed like he had to go somewhere when he left. 

 

Ruby had shown an unprecedented amount of progress in the week since Loki had begun training him. He wasn’t affectionate again after the incident, but Loki was more and more hopeful that things were turning around. Today after an afternoon of advanced tricks, Ruby seemed relaxed and receptive as they sat on the couches together.

Loki plucked a pastry from the platter, confident that this time, his pet would gladly accept it. 

Tony’s eyes were glued to the pastry as Loki brought it closer to his lips. 

This fucker had been on his nerves all day. He was dense, dense, _dense_ , and Tony was tired of it. 

And then the thought came, and Tony was practically giddy with it.

He watched Loki’s fingers approach, pale and delicate as they gently clasped the pastry to feed to him. 

Tony’s heart skipped a couple beats with excitement. He eagerly opened his mouth, waiting for Loki to set the pastry there. 

As the first crumbs fell onto his tongue, Tony lunged forward, engulfing the pastry, and then— “RUBY!” 

Loki yanked his bitten fingers from the bird’s mouth. 

“You bloody bird,” Loki hissed, waving and clasping his fingers in pain. 

Tony totally got why birds bit now. It was so incredibly _fun_. Tony was enjoying himself so much he was almost dizzy with it. 

Loki’s fingers flashed green as he healed the wound. He took a deep, calming breath to steady himself. “I know you enjoy those,” he started, “but you must take them _gently_.” 

Was he really going to give Tony a second chance? 

Seriously? 

He was! 

Tony couldn’t fucking wait. 

He bit down on his cheeks to try and fight off the massive smile at the thought, but then he realized it didn’t matter because Loki wouldn’t figure it out anyway. He watched Loki select the next pastry in pure joy. 

“I know you love these,” Loki said, smiling softly at how happy his pet looked. He couldn’t recall ever seeing Ruby look so happy. 

“But take it softly this time,” Loki said. He extended it carefully, only holding the far edge of the pastry. 

Tony lunged without thinking, moving faster than Loki for once and getting the end of his fingers. 

Tony was laughing so hard he couldn’t hear Loki’s expletives. He grasped his sides, trying to catch his breath. He only glanced up when Loki was rising up from the couch. 

Loki was grinding his teeth, clenching his fists as he attempted to quell his anger. Loki vanished without a word. 

Tony watched the spot he’d disappeared from for a moment before plucking one of the pastries from the tray. 

This was the most fun he’d had in ages. 

He was halfway through the tray when a thought struck him—he’d bitten someone, like the vet had said. 

Did that mean…was he really just a bird? Tony went still for a moment. No. Nah. He was still him, he just, you know, figured out how fun it was to bite outside the bedroom. 

Content, Tony dragged the tray into his lap to finish eating.

* * *

Tony was enjoying their little training sessions, as demeaning as the term was. Loki’s magic was fascinating. It could make multiples of things and change the form of matter. It could teleport objects and create varied lights and sounds from them. Once, Loki had even allowed Tony to hold his wrist as he cast a spell and Tony had watched, mesmerized, as the tiny sparks on Loki’s fingers suddenly shimmered and sparkled, overflowing like a fountain to twinkle out as they hit the ground.

Loki had seemed thrilled by it, then immensely pained, so Tony wondered if there wasn’t some sort of pain or difficulty associated with casting it. He didn’t have many tools to study it though, but he was getting closer to creating his escape bomb. 

Tony felt much more at ease now that he had a house, but he didn’t stay in it all day. He’d familiarized himself with all the plants and their properties in the enclosure. Sometimes he took naps out on the couches. He was doing just that one afternoon when he was awoken by a breathy sound. 

Tony’s eyes snapped open, but he didn’t move. He could see Loki standing several feet away at the coffee table, unaware that he’d woken him up. Tony’s chest went cold. The guy’s face was bright red and streaked with tears. He was sniffing, quickly wiping away the hot tears that were still spilling down his cheeks as he attempted to focus on the papers he’d laid out on the coffee table. 

Tony couldn’t make heads or tails of the papers, but he did understand that Loki was in an immense amount of pain. Tony closed his eyes. He could just ignore it. Loki didn’t know that he was awake. 

It didn’t feel right, though. As clueless and frustrating as Loki was, he wasn’t malicious. Tony sat up. 

Loki startled as Ruby sat up. He rubbed his red eyes, watching as Ruby approached him with confused concern. “It’s alright Ruby,” Loki said, voice breaking. “You’re okay. I just needed somewhere to be.” 

Loki didn’t know what to do as Ruby sat down beside him, and he was bewildered when Ruby leaned against his side. Loki’s muscles were stiff and uncomfortable. At least he’d stopped crying like a fool in his surprise. 

Ruby grabbed his hand and Loki flinched, unsure of his intention until Ruby set his hand in his hair. 

Loki let out a broken, relieved laugh. “Oh, you—you know me well, don’t you.” Loki began to comb his fingers through his pet’s hair, immensely comforted. His magic stopped ricocheting around in search of a target to attack and quelled. Suddenly, Loki found the words spilling out of him. “I have been negotiating a trade deal with Alfeheim for eight weeks. Today, Thor attended the negotiations for the first time and with one single comment from him, my hard fought negotiations are being scrapped in favor of accommodating his ill thought out remark.” Loki’s words came out more vehemently than he intended, but having Ruby there allowed him to vent something that would’ve been swallowed and suppressed otherwise. “I thought my mother would see the fault in it, but she—she was only thrilled that Thor showed interest in attending.” 

Loki allowed some of his weight to fall against Ruby’s. “As if his being a prince carries no responsibility. It is his obligation—I am never praised for performing my duties.” Ruby made a warbling sound but didn’t move away. “All he cares about is hunting parties and feasts. He didn’t even attend my lecture at the Hall of Magic because he got carried away on some stupid outing.” 

Loki sighed. He turned his head, breathing in the earthy scent of his pet’s hair. “I apologize, little bird. I do not mean to lay all my troubles on you.” 

Tony was quiet for a beat. “Well, you’re kind of a big trouble yourself anyway,” Tony said. Loki made an unhappy sound, but the way he was digging his nails through Tony’s hair was heavenly. “But uh, thanks for not chopping off my balls the one time, I guess. I’ll give you that one.” 

Tony knew that no reply was coming, but he wished it would anyway. “I don’t know why you’re all so hell bent on misunderstanding me, but I do wish we could talk about a few things,” Tony said. “I could commiserate with you on your brother’s hunting party, for one thing.” Tony smiled at his own bitter joke. 

Loki didn’t know what the chirping sounds Ruby was making meant, but he took comfort in them all the same. Eventually, when he decided he needed to be getting up and returning to his duties, he untangled from Ruby. Loki gathered his papers from the table. He was surprised when Tony followed him. He paused. He supposed it would be alright if he did not return to the palace until the evening feast. “Would you care for a bath?” He asked. He imagined that his pet looked hopeful suddenly, though Loki knew such thoughts were wishful thinking. “I have been longing to paint your colors again.” 

Tony soaked in the affection like a sponge. Loki bathed him and decorated him with paint and jewels like the first night. Before he left, he reached into his pockets and gave Tony several new gadgets to play with, far more than usual. 

Tony laid them all out on the kitchen table when Loki was gone.

He had everything he needed for the explosive. 

 

Tony didn’t waste any time.

While Loki had been dressing him he’d said something about some feast that the whole palace had to be at, which meant that he’d have a distraction for cover. It was better than he’d hoped for. 

Tony placed the bomb at the spot of the enclosure he’d been working on weakening. Then he set off the explosive. 

He was free.

* * *

Tony woke up in immense pain.

The next thing he recognized was Loki’s healing magic from before, but so much more intense this time, vivid and brilliant in a way that felt _alive_. Tony gasped, blinking away bright colors from his eyes to finally see the space he was in at the same moment he realized that he was cradled in Loki’s lap, Loki’s body trembling as his hands pressed against Tony’s bare chest. 

Tony noticed the hole he’d made in the enclosure first. 

The explosive had worked beautifully. It’d left a gaping hole big enough for a mob of people to get through. The problem was obvious this time, though. 

A golden web of light had splintered out from where Tony had detonated the bomb. 

It glittered and flashed, but Tony had the distinct impression that it wasn’t damaged in the least.

Fucking magic.

“Ruby,” Loki gasped, staring down at him. “Are you alright? Are you okay? There was shrapnel in your chest, but it’s gone now, it’s gone.” Loki scooped Tony up into his arms, holding him tight against his chest. Tony felt hot tears slide down his neck from Loki. He stared at the golden light blocking his escape and became hollow. 

“You’re alright,” Loki said, combing his fingers through Tony’s hair. Loki’s magic was unbearably warm. Tony felt it in every pore. Loki was shaking uncontrollably as he held Tony so hard he thought he might suffocate. Tony’s wings flinched, and in the same moment that Tony worried, Loki was already soothing him. “They’re not damaged. You have your wings, Ruby, you’re alright.” 

Tony still looked back anyway, Loki’s tears drying against his skin. Loki grabbed his chin, tilting Tony to look directly into his eyes. 

“When I find all of what was detonated—” Loki’s expression changed entirely. In place of the weepy concern was livid, broiling rage. 

He knew.

Tony’s blood ran cold.

“—I will use it to trace back to the bastard who did this,” Loki promised. “They were a fool to think they could steal you, and an imbecile to leave you so injured. I will not let either offense go unpunished.” The words were dark and seething and possessive and might’ve even been a turn on if they hadn’t also terrified Tony. 

Tony was light headed. Loki brushed Tony’s hair back from his face. “We’ll get you cleaned up and fed,” he said, the vitriol sliding out of his voice to be replaced by something soft and soothing. “Come now.” 

Suddenly they were on the floor of Loki’s bedroom, and Tony had felt nothing at all. He recognized it. He just wasn’t sure how he got there. 

A bit of hope crept in. Maybe Tony couldn’t figure a way out of the greenhouse, but maybe this room would be easier? 

Fuck. This was all so overwhelming and difficult. 

He’d failed. All his meticulous planning and ingenuity had failed and normally Tony could bounce back, it was an ordinary part of the process of making something new, trial and error and what not, but he didn’t want to figure out how to escape another room. 

He just wanted to go home. 

Unwelcome tears began pouring down his cheeks. 

He scrambled to grab Loki’s shoulders as he was lifted from the floor. “I know you were scared,” Loki murmured, carrying Tony into the bathing room. 

A sob escaped Tony’s tight throat. He stared over Loki’s shoulder at the bedroom. Before Loki shut the door to the bathing room, Tony spotted the plea for help he’d written at the vet’s tacked above Loki’s desk. Tony didn’t bother restraining the next sob. There was no point. 

Loki set him down on a stool and did nothing but hold him, allowing Tony to break down and cry as he murmured words of reassurance in Tony’s ear.

And the fucked up thing about it was that it made Tony feel better. He felt a hell of a lot better, and he even felt grateful to Loki for it, even though he shouldn’t because Loki was the reason he was in this mess in the first place.

When Tony had calmed down and Loki moved to get the shower head, Tony stood up and undressed himself. Then he sat back down. If he was going to be stuck in this place for the unforeseeable future, he might as well enjoy some of the perks of that. And one of the best perks was having a hot guy bathe and dote on him, even if Tony really couldn’t enjoy the sentiment at the moment.

He just wanted the contact. 

As Loki shampooed Tony’s hair, a guard came in and listed the finds of their investigation in the enclosure to Loki. His hands tensed, but his outward demeanor otherwise stayed the same as he thanked the guard. Once the door was shut, Loki spoke. “I have set the best team on the task. I would be surprised if they did not find the perpetrator by midnight.” He rinsed Tony’s hair, and Tony squeezed his eyes shut, unsure of what Loki would do if he found out what Tony had done. “I do not think it wise for you to stay in your home tonight, however.” 

Loki became lost in his own thoughts after that, and Tony didn’t have the energy or the willpower to do much. Loki dressed him in a soft and fluffy tunic thing and soft pants. Then he took Tony’s hand and guided him to sit outside on the balcony with him. 

Loki conjured a tray of food. Tony picked at it, but Loki didn’t try to feed him, even though Tony could tell that he wanted to. After a while Loki conjured a hair brush and had Tony sit on a floor cushion as he combed it, twisting Tony’s curls into small braids with deft hands while leaving other sections undone. It was more pleasurable than Tony wanted to admit. When he sensed that Loki was finished, he let his head rest against Loki’s thigh. 

Loki paused before combing his fingers through Tony’s hair. Tony sighed. “You know,” Tony mumbled, sick of talking to himself all the time. “Sometimes the worst thing about not being able to escape is that I know everyone’s looking for me. Do you think that they think I’m dead by now?” Tony rubbed at his face. “I really thought I was going to make it this time.” Tony breathed out through a humorless smile. “I just didn’t realize that barrier extended past the door.” 

Tony rubbed his eyes. He needed a nap. Loki’s hand had gone still. Tony turned back to look. 

Loki was staring at something out beyond the balcony, tense and alert. He stood, his eyes never leaving the spot in the distance before vanishing. 

Tony got up. He hurried to the banister, looking out where Loki had been, but all he could see was a few people walking with lanterns. Had Loki known them? They didn’t look like guards. 

Tony stared at the open sky, his chest aching with homesickness. 

He already knew the answer, but he threw Loki’s hairbrush at the empty space beyond the balcony, just to watch it bounce off a shimmering gold web for a moment before it clattered back on the floor. Tony sighed. 

For a while he laid on the couch and drank the tea Loki had made them. When it felt like Loki had been gone a long time, Tony wandered into the bedroom. 

Ordinarily he would’ve snooped through Loki’s stuff, but he didn’t really care tonight. He was exhausted. Loki’s giant bed looked amazing. 

Tony crawled into it like he owned the place. Wrapping the blankets around himself, Tony was out like a light.

* * *

Tony woke up to yelling.

“Move. Get up. If I have to pull you from that bed I will.” 

Tony didn’t recognize the voice. He was having a hard time placing where he was until he managed to pry his eyelids open. Tony did recognize the irate blonde standing at the end of the bed. 

Thor pointed at the floor. “Move.” Thor huffed, pointing at the floor. “Move or speak, but I will move you!” 

“Umm,” Tony tried. He moved to get out of the bed, only because a muscly guy yelling at him wasn’t something he wanted to take on at the moment. “Can you at least tell me what this is about?” 

Thor stared at him. 

“Not that I’m not happy to see you sunshine, but I’m not.” Tony folded his arms over his chest, holding his wings out defensively. “Thanks for waking me up, asshole.” 

Thor shook his head. He spoke quieter then, with heavy, exhausted resignation. “If you were sentient, the All Speak would convey your words. Loki is a mage. He should know that better than anyone else.” Thor reached for Tony’s hands, but Tony dodged him, taking several stumbling steps backwards. “You have been a blight on my brother’s mind since you came here, bird! You are more trouble than you’re worth.” 

Tony tried to put more distance between himself and Thor, his focus set on the open door. Thor set his jaw, unamused.

“When his madness passes and he realizes you cannot speak, I do not wish for him to obsess over you any longer. The events of this night have been too much for him. I have never seen him so distraught. Whether you are his familiar or not, I’m sending you back. Let us go before he returns from seeing Mother.”

Tony took a cautious step forward. Was this guy just letting him go because he was—difficult? 

Tony wanted to laugh. He’d worked so fucking hard, and this guy was just going to let him go just like that? 

Thor used the distraction to charge Tony and capture his wrists in cuffs. Tony walked after him willingly, already forgetting everything that Thor had said as his mind sung with the thought of going home. 

 

Thor snuck Tony out the door and down what Tony could only guess was a servant’s passage, hiding them when voices approached before leading them outside. Time flew by for Tony. Thor didn’t seem to believe that Tony would leave far enough though, for he dragged Tony up into a saddle with him and had the horse canter beyond the outskirts of town until they reached a grassy field lit by moonlight. “Go.” 

Thor unclasped his manacles. 

“Go and let my brother free,” he ordered before turning on the horse and leaving. 

Tony watched Thor’s silhouette disappear into the shadows left by the full moon overhead. This weird chapter of his life was ending as abruptly as it’d begun. 

Tony turned and sprinted into the forest. With a little luck, he’d be home soon.


	4. Chapter 4

Two months had passed since Tony’s escape from captivity, and it was starting to feel like a strange fever dream. Or, it would’ve, if Tony hadn’t been having unusually vivid dreams.

In the first, Tony watched from a distance as Loki tore apart his bedroom, frantically looking for pieces of paper. 

In another, Loki drew a heavy wooden barricade across his door as Thor called to him from outside. Tony couldn’t make out Thor’s voice or words, but he knew somehow that it was Thor, and that Loki was furious with rage and grief. 

The one that Tony found himself thinking about the most was one where he had found himself in absolute darkness. He was laying on his back, staring up at nothing. Hands cradled his face. Loki was there in the darkness, perfectly visible as if there had been light. He was staring down at Tony with mournful apology in his eyes. He was crying. 

The tears landed on Tony’s cheeks, warm as they met his skin. 

“I am so sorry, Tony. I had no idea.” 

Tony stared into Loki’s eyes, unsure of what he wanted to say in return. 

Loki said nothing more. He only held Tony’s head as it was pillowed in his lap, staring unhappily down at him as more tears rolled down his cheeks. 

Tony’s wings were suddenly there in their full glory, expanding outward. Their tips glinted in the darkness, and as they did, Tony woke up. 

The dreams didn’t happen every night, but they felt so real when they did that Tony couldn’t pretend his time as the prince’s pet wasn’t real.

But Tony still boxed up those dreams and pushed them away in his mind, concentrating on the day to day. He’d had a massive homecoming party. Everyone was thrilled and stunned to have him reappear, having thought him dead. Rhodey had organized all of the search parties and sent out word to the other groups in the forest that they were looking for Tony. It was how getting home had been so easy for Tony. The first humanoid he’d come across in the forest had known he was missing and helped him get home. Tony had told everyone the story of what happened, but now he wished he hadn’t. 

Naturally they were afraid of losing him again, and Tony had lost the freedom to wander in the woods as he once had. Tony spent most of his time now with Rhodey, designing and creating when Howard wasn’t expecting him to make appearances at publicity events. 

However, Rhodey was a member of the guard for Manhattan, and he didn’t have hours and hours to spend in the design lab like Tony did. It felt lonelier than it ever had before now that Tony couldn’t wander out alone into the woods in search of new materials.

Tony had made himself a new set of feathers. 

Before, Tony had learned to pride himself on having a set of wings that were overtly mechanical. He’d designed the artificial red on his feathers to be brilliant and show stopping.

Now, however, the pattern on his wings was the most elaborate and painfully detailed he’d ever created. They were made for camouflage. The marble of browns, grays, and black imitated tree bark. Tony had also improved them so that he’d be faster when he flew, and better equipped to take sharp turns. They were as durable as they were ever going to be. 

Tony stretched his wings as he sat alone in the lab now. He was out of things to design, and Rhodey wouldn’t be back for hours. Tony ran his hand across a polished feather. 

“Tones?” 

Tony looked back over his shoulder. The surprised smile dropped from Tony’s face when he saw the expression on Rhodey’s. 

Rhodey stood up taller, protective. “Tones,” he said, voice grave. “There’s a man that stumbled into our part of the forest. We were going to send him back, but he looks exactly like the guy you described.” Tony’s stomach dropped. Rhodey held his gaze, reassuring and fierce. “You don’t have to see him if you don’t want to—”

“—I want to,” Tony interrupted. He was standing suddenly, his wings flaring. He hadn’t meant to interrupt, but the determination had struck, hard. “I need to see if it’s him.” 

Rhodey nodded. 

Tony joined at his side to walk there. “I’m guessing he didn’t say he was looking for me, but what did he say?” Tony asked, the image of Loki crying over him arising unbidden. Tony didn’t want to feel sympathy for him. 

Rhodey frowned. “We can’t understand a word he’s saying, but I recognized him right away when I saw him. He fits the profile you described perfectly. We cuffed him. He’s sitting in one of our tents now.” 

Tony smiled wryly. “I bet he took to that well.” 

“Honestly? It kind of calmed him down.” Rhodey didn’t seem happy about that. “I’ve never seen a prisoner become more cooperative with cuffs, but there’s a first for everything.” 

Tony wasn’t in the mood to make jokes, though they came to mind. “I want to know what that fucker’s doing here.” 

 

Loki couldn’t understand what the guardsmen were saying, but he’d understood perfectly well that the one had recognized him. Loki stayed put. He could always break free of the restraints, but he had a strong suspicion that it’d work in his favor to play captive. 

A woman with bright red wings and matching hair was watching him with narrowed eyes, her arms crossed. The glare intensified when Loki stared at her directly. He had to settle for studying her wings from the corner of his eye.

They were mesmerizing to look at, but only out of comparison’s sake. They made him realize just how stunning and ingenious the artificial wings had been, even more than he had understood already. 

Loki heard a familiar voice approaching and sat up, unable to hide how eager he was. Loki didn’t realize that he’d stood until the red head was hissing and shoving him back down into the chair. Then the flap of the tent was being brushed aside and Loki’s whole world stopped.

 

Tony didn’t know what he’d expected to feel when he saw Loki again. He certainly hadn’t expected to feel a sense of ease and calm, but he did. He just stared at Loki, uncertain of what to make of his own reaction, earning a concerned look from Rhodey. 

Loki started to rise from his chair, but Natasha flared her wings and he sat back down. There was a glimmer and his cuffs were gone. Tony’s heart rate skyrocketed. Suddenly there was a piece of paper in Loki’s hands, extending out towards him. 

 

Loki held out the paper, hoping the trembling in his hands wasn’t noticeable. “I—” Loki licked his lips. Now that the moment was here, now that the stakes were so great, he felt like he might peel out of his skin with the anxiety of it. “I traveled through three realms before I was able to find the means to make a translation.” He smiled slightly, apologetically. “I used documents that were three centuries old to work on this, but now I know what it says.” 

It was obvious that no one would take the paper from him, as three sets of eyes stayed set on him. Loki swallowed. “Tony, please. At least let me explain.” Loki blinked. He could see that his words were having an effect on Tony, but it was precarious. “I know I have much to make amends for and I cannot begin to convey how sorry I am, but please allow me the chance to beg your forgiveness and explain to you—everything.” 

 

“Tones?” Tony was vaguely aware of Rhodey standing beside him, but everything had gone kind of foggy. He was trying to process too much at once. “Tones? What’s this guy saying?” 

The question jarred Tony. “He knows my name.” Tony could hardly believe his ears. 

“What?”

Loki was holding the piece of paper that Tony had written on at the vet. 

_My name is Tony, Anthony Edward Stark. I am from Manhattan Forest. I was kidnapped by a hunting party and am being held against my will. Help._

Tony blindly reached for Rhodey, finding balance when he set his hand on his shoulder. Rhodey huffed, his feathers ruffling in irritation, his gaze not leaving Loki. 

Loki lowered the piece of paper. “Please,” he said quietly. 

“Yeah. Alright,” Tony said, light headed. 

“Alright what?” Rhodey asked. “Tones, you’ve gotta tell me what’s going on. I don’t like the way you two are looking at each other.” 

“He’s right,” Natasha said. “If you’re understanding him Tony, we’re not. You said he has magic, right? How do you know this isn’t some sort of trick?” 

Tony shook his head a little. “I want to hear what he has to say.” 

“I don’t know about this—”

“—It’s a bad idea, Tony. We can’t—”

Tony’s wings flared out, brushing against theirs. They both pulled their wings back and away from the sudden intrusion. “I need to.” Tony tried to pull his wings back in towards himself, but he was too upset. They wouldn’t budge. “I have to.” 

Tony didn’t see the look that they exchanged, but they didn’t stop him from taking the chair across from Loki in the tent.

 

Loki’s magic thrummed as Tony moved closer. “Tony,” Loki said, holding up his hands placatingly. He’d talked Thor off the ledges of rash decisions hundreds of times, surely he could do so with his familiar. He hoped. There was no guarantee that Tony would stick around like there was with Thor. “Tony—”

“—You know my name now,” Tony said. He wanted to shake his head and knock his thoughts back into place. “You can read, translate it? Why the hell didn’t you do that before then?” Wait. Tony needed to know something else first. “Are you here to take me back? Because I’m not being your pet, no way in hell, so if that’s what you’re here for—”

“—I’m not.” Loki held Tony’s gaze, steady and certain. He barely moved, cautious about upsetting Tony. “I am not here to steal you from your home and take you back, I can promise you that.” Loki rarely made a promise that he could not slip out of, but he meant it now. He had to. His familiar would know if he was lying to him. 

Tony felt himself relax, reassured, although he wasn’t sure why. He was calmer, though. “Then why are you here?” 

Loki stared down at the floor for a moment, then licked his lips. “I—allow me to start first with why we can speak and understand one another now.” 

Tony shuffled in his seat, rustling his wings. It made Natasha and Rhodey raise theirs, sharp and tense. 

“When you showed me that paper, the All Speak—the, language, _spell_ , that we use to translate between ourselves and beings in all the other realms, did not translate it. It—”

“—So what, you couldn’t look at the paper and see that it was obviously in a script—”

“—Please let me finish.” Loki stared at his familiar, imploring him to listen. To his surprise, Tony’s wings lowered slightly. He was giving Loki the floor. 

Loki inclined his head in thanks slightly before he continued. “The All Speak has been in place for so long that there is no living memory of its creator. You must understand how astounding that is for my people, that something cannot be remembered. We live for millennia.” Loki took a deep breath. This was the part that had shocked him, and he needed Tony to understand. “For as long as I can remember, there has never been an—error—in the All Speak. In fact, there is no record of one, ever. The All Speak translates the spoken and written word of all sentient beings, and has been relied on for—forever, practically, by our standards.” 

Loki was holding his breath. He forced himself to let it out and take another. “When you arrived, I only heard you speak as a bird would, with chirps and whistles. The paper at the vet, and every one you wrote on after, appeared as scribbles and childish drawings to my eyes. Then, after—” It still ached to speak of, even with a couple months to process. “Your—injury—” He sucked in a deep breath. “That night, I heard you speak when we were on the balcony. I— _understood_ you.” 

Tony had to think about it for a moment to figure out what Loki was talking about. “I thought you saw something outside.” 

Loki shook his head. “I left to consult with my mother. She is a practiced mage, and—I should not have left. I should have stayed.” He implored Tony to understand and ached to take Tony’s hand in his, even though he knew the touch would be unwelcome. “I was struck by so many things at once. The realization that you were sentient, and then that I’d taken a sentient being captive, and treated him as a pet, and that my familiar—” Tony believed him then. The anger Loki had towards himself convinced Tony. “—was not a pet, and I had ruined what is perhaps the greatest relationship a mage can hope to have, I—I needed to think. I did not trust myself to explain myself to you then, when I was so—shocked—but I thought I had time. I did not realize that Thor would—release you.” 

He was still bitter about that. Would probably be forever, and Tony could see it. That set Tony on edge, and Loki realized it. “Not that I meant to keep you after that,” Loki clarified. “But I’d hoped to at least explain myself. And—apologize. I do believe I will be doing that for a long time.” 

“You’re damn right,” Tony said. He felt happier saying that though, for some reason.

Loki smiled slightly. “You are the only person I have apologized to so much.” 

“No,” Tony said sarcastically. Loki smiled at him, guilty but amused, and Tony found himself smiling back. “So you’re telling me that the All Speak doesn’t work for my language then?” Tony asked. “Why’d you hear me that night, then?” 

Loki’s gaze darted away from Tony as he noticed Natasha and Rhodey in some sort of nonverbal exchange. He focused back on Tony. “It is not that the All Speak simply does not work on your language. I believe that the reason behind that may be more—sinister.” 

Tony didn’t tense as Loki expected him to. He simply waited for Loki to continue. “There will never be a way to confirm it as the creator is dead, but it is my theory that its creator deliberately excluded your people and all of what we have long considered to be insentient humanoid creatures in Asgard.” Loki didn’t bother to hide how much the thought weighed on him because he knew what it was leading to. “I would guess that the creator had a humanoid pet that they wished to keep, and by translating their pet’s words, they knew they would not have been permitted to do so.” Loki ran his finger across his knuckles. “That would explain why your writing appeared as scribbles to me and not an untranslated script with order and patterns. The All Speak does not simply fail to translate you, but obscures your language as well.” 

“And that fucker’s spell has enabled every other pet keeping fucker since,” Tony finished for him. Loki grimly nodded. Tony huffed. “How many of us are there?” 

“Not so many,” Loki said. “But as you could conclude from visiting the vet, there are not so few either.” He gripped his hands together, dreading what he was about to say because he knew it would be a very long road. “Now that we can speak, as a prince of Asgard, I will set to changing that. Whether it be by expanding the All Speak spell or legislation or both, but I will not allow such a practice to continue.” 

Tony crossed his arms. He expected that of Loki because he didn’t think the guy was pure asshole, and it’d take a real asshole to do what the creator of the All Speak had done. “I still tried to communicate with you in dozens of other ways,” Tony said. 

Loki nodded in quiet shame. “In retrospect, you did.” He felt the burn on his cheeks. “I had suggested such to Dr. Strange, but he had insisted that I was only projecting my feelings onto you. I will admit that it is cruel, and I did not see it as such at the time, but we have kept your kind as pets for ages. I had no reason to suspect that you were sentient, and thought myself mad to do so.” 

They sat there in grim silence for a few moments until Rhodey spoke up. “What was he saying?” 

Tony translated everything, watching Rhodey and Natasha exchange horrified looks before turning back to Loki. “You still haven’t explained why we understand each other.” 

Loki watched him for a moment, deliberating. “You understood me from the moment we met, didn’t you?” 

“Yes.” 

“I thought so.” Tony had confirmed his theory. “I am a mage,” Loki said. “I am able to sense and manipulate magic. You, however, are not.” Loki was afraid to tell Tony this part, terrified that Tony would reject him. “You bonded to me as familiar the moment we met.” Tony started to scoff, and Loki hurried to finish. “I blocked the bond, wanting to be reassured that the bond would benefit us—you have to understand and I apologize, but I saw you as a feral bird—and I held out on that bond until—” Loki bit his lip and then just said it. “You were injured. I could not concentrate on healing you and restricting the bond both. It was too traumatic, and my control slipped. I bonded back to you and allowed the bond to be completed, and thus, could understand you.” 

Loki bit his lip. “The bond makes communication between us possible, among many other abilities.” 

Tony just stared at him, his chest rising and falling beneath his crossed arms as his golden brown eyes stayed put on on Loki’s anxious gaze. 

“That’s why I’ve been having those dreams.” 

“I only apologized to you—”

“—No. I saw you crying. I saw you yelling at Thor, and in a library, and laying on the couch on your balcony—I knew those were real!” 

Loki stared at him with wide eyes. 

“What?” 

Loki blinked. “You saw all of that.” Tony nodded. “I have only seen you when I came to apologize.” 

“So?” 

“So you are able to use the bond to see me, and it was a struggle for me to see you once.” It vexed Loki. As the mage, he should’ve been more adept, naturally. Tony raised an eyebrow. 

Reluctantly, Loki admitted, “I do not entirely understand how the bond works, or its powers. My knowledge is all based on research. I have never taken a familiar.” 

“Speaking of, you’re going to have to explain that whole thing.” 

Loki glanced at Tony’s companions. They had not seemed to warm up to him at all, and even less since Tony had explained the All Speak to them. “Are you familiar with the concept of soulmates?” Tony gave him a skeptical nod. “It is similar. It is a magical bond between a mage and another which enables the mage to perform greater magical acts and the familiar the benefits of such magic which they would not otherwise have.” 

“And I just—bonded to you.” Tony waved his hands outwards, his cynicism wounding Loki. 

Loki nodded his head to the side, slightly. “Essentially.” He knew he was on thin ice. “It was unusual for me to hold back on the bond. Usually it happens instantaneously.” Now Loki wished that he’d simply allowed it to form. “My magic very much wanted you, Tony. I only held back because I knew that the bond can become dangerous.” 

“Dangerous?” Tony’s wings rose as he sat up taller. 

“Think of it as a toxic companionship, elevated a thousand fold. The euphoria that would be there with a healthy bond is replaced with hatred as the two apply the bond’s abilities to malicious ends in an attempt to destroy the other.” Loki glanced away. “It is not a common occurrence, as familiar bonds typically form between animals and mages. The bond is almost always a blessing. It was a struggle to hold out as long as I did.” 

“And now we’re bonded,” Tony said flatly. 

Loki nodded. “I understand if you cannot forgive me. Keeping you as a pet was reprehensible.” Loki couldn’t bear to look at him. He felt as though he’d taken his heart from his chest and laid it out for Tony to stab at his leisure. “But I will listen to the terms you set, Tony, if you are willing to start again and explore this with me.” 

Tony took his time thinking about it and considering. “Alright,” he said eventually. Loki’s eyes sparked with surprised joy. “But I’m not going back to the palace. You have to stay here.” 

“I have duties as a prince, but I will attend them at the barest minimum to stay with you—”

“—I’m not saying you have to give up being a prince. I’m not going to hold you here. I’m saying that if you want to figure this whole familiar thing out with me, then we’re doing it here. You can’t tell anyone about this place. You can’t bring anyone here. You have to promise that. And you’ve got to take care of that whole keeping my people as pets thing before I ever step foot back in that palace, if I ever decide to. And you have to learn how to get along here, too. But if you’re willing to do that, I’m willing to give this whole familiar thing a spin, see what happens. I—I’m curious about it.” 

Loki broke into a dazzling smile. He couldn’t help it. “I accept.” 

“Tones, can we talk—” Rhodey and Natasha were both agitated. Tony stood up. He nodded to Rhodey, but his gaze didn’t leave Loki’s.

“We’ll be right back,” he said. 

Rhodey and Tony stepped outside. Loki could make out bits of Tony’s words as they went from clipped whispers to a heated debate and back to whispers again. The red haired bird attempted to burn a hole in him with her gaze. Loki found he didn’t care, though. He was as light as air with the possibility of staying with Tony. 

When the flap to the tent finally opened again, it was Tony. “Come on,” he gestured towards Loki. “The first step is to see if you don’t get murdered by my dad.”

* * *

The first three months with Tony passed remarkably fast. Loki didn’t have much interaction with people outside of Tony’s inner circle, but his princely status got him a pass with Howard. Outside of Tony’s circle, people were either terrified of him or sycophants, so it wasn’t that different from Asgard.

In the mornings, Tony would teach Loki about Manhattan and they’d have language lessons with Rhodey. Tony’s speech was translated through the bond, but he was insistent that Loki learn to speak his language. Loki would listen to the sounds that Rhodey made, have Tony translate them, and then attempt to make them himself. Conversations were tedious and riddled with errors.

It was excruciatingly difficult, and one of the few things in Loki’s long life that had made him feel stupid. He’d even woven a few spells to make learning easier, but by and large it was very difficult for someone that’d never had to learn another language this way and who was no longer a child and capable of quick linguistic mastery. 

The afternoons, however, were wonderful. Loki was teaching Tony how magic worked, and they were learning together how to amplify it through their bond. Tony had a brilliant mind. Loki had practically fawned over Tony as he’d explained the design of his wings, and even showed Loki his own projects in his forge. 

Loki felt like an absolute moron for not recognizing Tony’s sentience before. 

Some evenings they went to the public events that were hosted by Tony’s cold father. They were similar to court events on Asgard, but it was nice to have Tony at his side to make them less superficial and stressful. Other evenings Tony went out with his friends and left Loki to his own studies, or went to the lab to work by himself. 

This evening Tony had let Loki stay with him in the lab as he worked. Loki read a book, pretending that he was there out of convenience rather than that he wanted the closeness. The bond made it impossible to lie. Tony could sense Loki’s contentment like a cat’s purring. 

It was getting late when Tony set down his tools and wandered over to the couch that Loki was sitting on. He sat down beside him, a drink in hand. 

Loki glanced up from his book. “Are you finished creating tonight?” 

“I think so.” Tony took a sip of his drink. “Is it weird getting used to me not being a pet?” Loki didn’t hide the surprise on his face very well, and Tony felt the contentment in their bond blink out. Tony hadn’t brought it up like this before. 

Loki was quiet as he answered. “I haven’t thought of you as a pet since the night I realized my mistake.” 

“You know, there were some things that I didn’t mind as your pet.” Tony tried to play it cool, but his heart was beating out of his chest. 

Loki swallowed. “Oh?” 

Tony moved his leg closer to Loki and watched the way that Loki subtly moved further in on himself, away from Tony. “Yeah,” Tony said. “You can touch me, you know. I don’t mind.” 

A faint shade of pink flushed through Loki’s cheeks. “I don’t wish to impose.” 

“You’re not.” Tony shrugged. “I kind of miss the casual touches.” He looked at Loki, but Loki was deliberately staring straight ahead. “And I know that you’ve got a thing for my hair—”

“—I can’t,” Loki cut him off. He gestured awkwardly with his hands. “It’s different now. You’re—I can’t.” 

“I’m saying you _can_ though,” Tony said. 

“That’s not what I meant,” Loki said. “It’s not that I don’t have your permission, now, it’s that you are you, and not a pet. I can’t see you that way anymore, and _petting_ you feels wrong.” 

Tony pressed his lips together. He needed Loki to get it. “I’m not saying that I want you to treat me like a pet again. I’m saying, like—when we’re working magic with the bond it’s the most incredible feeling ever, and then afterwards when we’re done you won’t touch me and it feels kinda cold, you know?” 

Tony pursed his lips to the side. “And I get that you’re not the most open guy, I saw that when we were in Asgard, but it’s weird to have seen you all open and carefree when it was just us, and now it’s just us but you’re not that way at all, you know?” Tony huffed. “I know it’s taken some adjusting, but I trust you now.” He was Loki’s familiar. He trusted Loki more than he ever thought was possible.

“Thank you, Tony,” Loki said, sincerely and deeply moved. 

Tony wasn’t done talking. He wanted attention, damnit. He wanted to be able to brush against Loki without the mage flinching like he’d been struck. “Well I mean it,” Tony said. 

“I will try to be less—cold,” Loki said. He was astounded that Tony was offering this to him. The depth of Tony’s heart and his capacity for forgiveness would never stop astounding Loki. 

Tony was frustrated. That wasn’t what he wanted. In fact, if he was being entirely honest with himself, he was a pretty damn tactile person, and Loki’s distance was driving him nuts. He was more touch starved than ever.

“You’ve probably noticed that I’m not seeing anybody here.” 

Loki turned to him surprise. “I thought you and Rhodey—”

“—We’re best friends, but we don’t have that kind of compatibility. Don’t get me wrong. I’d love if we did, but we don’t. Like, at all.” Tony sighed. He’d wished that they had many times in the past. “And um, I kinda haven’t been that lucky here, in that department. Kinda tried out a lot of people and never got anywhere meaningful.” 

Tony smiled, laughing at himself a little. “You know, that first night when we met I thought that we were going to hook up.” He could actually laugh about it now. “And that you were into a lot of really elaborate foreplay. I didn’t realize something was up until you told me I was gonna be a pet.” He turned to Loki, expecting to find the mage laughing along, but he was bright fucking red. 

Tony had never seen Loki look so embarrassed. He turned more towards Loki on the couch, looking downright impish as he prodded Loki. “You didn’t think that I was hot?” He blinked, slow and coquettish, deeply amused by the way Loki turned even redder. “I mean, I thought you were having fun painting me, and then you gave me all this jewelry, and you saw that I’d gotten hard—”

“—Tony!” Loki crossed his legs, his knuckles turning white against the cover of the book in his lap. “You were my pet, I thought of it as nothing but biological mechanics—”

“—even now?” Tony asked, cocking his head to the side and grinning. 

Loki took a deep, stubborn breath before turning to Tony with a huff. “I am not certain what you are asking for now, but I do wish to know why you find this so bloody funny.” 

Tony smiled at him, but it was much softer. “You know, this is the first time since you started staying here that you’ve let loose and stopped treating me like I’m a glass ornament you’re terrified of breaking.” 

Loki blinked, the anger replaced by something almost shy, uncomfortable. 

“If this is gonna work out, you’ve gotta be yourself,” Tony said. “I get that you feel guilty about what happened, and I know there are parts it’s hard for us to talk about. But we’re gonna have to, you know?” Tony brought his wings in closer to Loki, not touching him, but reassuring him all the same. “And being honest with each other includes me saying you’re kind of hot and I wouldn’t mind being handsy or boning—”

“—Tony!” Loki wouldn’t look at him, but he wasn’t soothed like Tony expected him to be. “You’re making fun of me!” 

“No. I’m not!” Tony smiled, trying to convince him, but Loki only interpreted it as Tony finding it more hilarious. 

“Stop,” Loki insisted. “I know you will always resent me for it, but could you not do me the kindness of refraining from making fun of me for it?” Loki got off the couch, deftly avoiding Tony’s wings and pressing the book to his chest over his heart. “I cannot bear it.” 

He vanished before Tony could apologize. 

Tony went up to Loki’s room, but Loki refused to answer the door. He pushed at their bond for Loki to answer, but all he got was Loki pushing right back. Tony sighed. At least Loki was still here and hadn’t poofed away to Asgard. They could talk about it when Loki calmed down.

* * *

Loki was even more tense and formal at their language lesson in the morning. When they finished for lunch, Loki left on his own instead of waiting to eat with them as usual. Rhodey turned to Tony. “Did something happen?”

Tony shrugged. “He woke up on the wrong side of the bed, I guess.” 

If Tony didn’t act worried about it, then Rhodey wouldn’t worry. Tony didn’t want Rhodey to worry about him, not after putting him through his disappearance and leaning on him so heavily to have help with Loki staying here. “There was that storm last night. Maybe he didn’t sleep well,” Rhodey guessed. Rhodey stretched his wings as they walked to the lunch hall. “It’s fish today. You wanna have a fish eating contest with Clint?” 

“You know I do,” Tony promised with more enthusiasm than he felt. 

 

Tony half expected Loki to make some sort of excuse to get out of their afternoon training. Yet Loki arrived on time, standing several yards from Tony. 

“We can resume working to modify cast spells today,” Loki said, opening a book that he’d been keeping record of their lessons with. “I will make a light the size of my hand and rely on you to make it twice its size.” 

Tony walked up to Loki, his long wings held behind his back and towards the floor. Loki stared down at his hands. He ignored Tony’s approach and made the green flame appear in his hands when Tony was several feet away. 

Tony looked at the flame. 

It was strange, finding that he could aid Loki’s magic simply by following his wishes. He didn’t even know how it worked. Not on the level that he would’ve liked to understand, although he got Loki’s explanations of magic. As long as Tony felt like following Loki’s directions, it worked. Sometimes it worked even when Tony wasn’t paying attention to it. 

The flame grew to twice its size, easily. 

“Good. Now I want you to direct it to be blue.” 

Loki’s eyebrow twitched as he stared at the flame. It lit his tired features, placing a blue highlight on his cheeks beneath tired circles. Tony wondered if Loki had slept last night. His wings sank down towards the ground, almost listless. 

The flame transitioned to dark blue. “Now red,” Loki said, holding his concentration on the flame. Tony noticed the tension in Loki’s shoulders, as if the way he was deliberately avoiding giving Tony any more attention than absolutely necessary wasn’t a clue that he was upset. The flame snapped to red. “Try and reduce it to half its size.” 

“Loki,” Tony said. Loki’s eyebrows lowered, but his gaze did not leave the dancing flame in his palms. “I know I pissed you off yesterday.” 

Loki’s expression did not change. “I am not angry.” 

Tony felt a tug to make the flame change and followed it, allowing the flame to shrink. “Now triple its size,” Loki said. 

Tony urged the flame to hurry and it tripled immediately. “But—”

“—I am not angry. Turn it purple.” 

It faded to a dim purple. “I think that—”

“—Mix yellow into the purple but do not allow it to change entirely.” 

Tony had to hold that thought for a moment, but once he did the flame began to shift. “Loki, I—”

“—Now replace the yellow with blue but do not change the purple.” 

“Loki—” The flame was changing and shifting on its own, replacing the colors as Loki had wished as Tony stared at him. 

“—Return it to green—”

“—Loki!” Loki finally turned to face him, tense and yes, angry. “Listen to me. I didn’t mean to piss you off, and I wasn’t making fun of you.” Loki didn’t believe him. “I was being honest. It’s alright if you’re not attracted to me.” 

The flame vanished. Loki struggled not to yell at his familiar, though he wanted to. “How?” He demanded. 

Tony blinked in confusion. “How what—?”

“How could you possibly be attracted to me? I—I stole your freedom, Tony. I clipped your wings and I treated you like an animal—and nothing will ever change that. We lost the opportunity to ever be a normal familiar and mage—”

“—Says who?” Tony set a hand on his hip, scratching his beard. “Who says we can’t be a normal familiar and mage, whatever that means?” Loki looked away. “Sure, our beginning was fucked up, but I said we can hang out and see how it goes, didn’t I? I mean, shit Loki, we’ve been hanging out for three months doing this and I haven’t seen anything to make me think that was a bad idea.” Tony ran his hand through his hair. “But obviously I’m missing something, so fill me in.” 

Loki combed his fingers through his hair, not unlike how Tony had just done. “I cannot forgive myself for what happened. I do not expect you to.” 

Tony huffed. Loki was hard to get through to like this, so Tony reached for Loki’s hand. 

The moment they made contact Tony felt the bond flare and warm, rushing through his veins with comfort and elation. “Do you feel that, Loki?” Tony squeezed his hand. “It’s kinda cool. Not many people get to experience this.” 

“I know,” Loki said very, very quietly. 

“But you’re all caught up in what you did, I mean, do you feel that, Loki?” Tony wished he could have this contact all the time. “We can’t nurture this if your mind is there,” Tony said. “Isn’t that the point of working on magic together in the afternoons, anyway? To better this bond? So we can do more amazing things?” It was a fascinating experience, and Tony wasn’t willing to give it up. 

Loki opened his mouth as if to say something before closing it again. He seemed unhappy when Tony let go of his hand, but he didn’t reach for Tony’s. 

Tony waited, feeling that it was all that he could do. The ball was in Loki’s court now.

Loki clasped his hands together, watching his thumbs intertwine. “What did you think of me, honestly? Then?” 

Tony stretched his wings. “You—are pretty good at being many people. The unreachable prince, the dutiful son, but uh—I feel like you let all of that drop when we were together. I know it was because you thought I didn’t understand so you didn’t have to be anybody, but uh, I liked you on those days when you’d rant about the court.” To Tony’s surprise, Loki was listening attentively, although he didn’t seem pleased with himself. Still, he was listening, and Tony took that as progress. “You’re smart, and uh, you’re not bad at comebacks. I kind of feel like we’d have a lot fun there but I’m getting off topic, uh, well, you were nice. I mean, I’m not going to lie and tell you I didn’t hate you some days, but I think that was understandable.” 

“You planted a bomb that broke your chest,” Loki gritted out, sounding like he was on the verge of tears. 

Tony flinched. He smiled tightly. “Uh, but I didn’t plan that. Nothing was supposed to ricochet and hit me.” 

“Tony. You hated being there so much that you set off a bomb that _would have killed you_.” Tony hadn’t realized that it’d been that bad. “Do you know how—how often I replay that in my mind? And to know that you chose to do that—”

“—Wait. Wait. I didn’t realize that the gold stuff went all around the greenhouse. I thought it was just for the door.” 

“The ward.”

“What?” 

“That’s what it was. A ward,” Loki corrected. He wiped his cheeks, his face angry and hurting. “And now you act as if that is water under the bridge.” 

“Loki,” Tony exclaimed. “Stop being difficult!” 

“I am not being difficult—”

“—Oh really? Because it looks like to me all this stuff you’ve been bottling up is all coming out now, and as much as you want to make it a fight, I don’t!” Tony realized his wings were raised to their full height, brandished and intimidating as they swept outward from him in a great arc. He deliberately lowered his voice as he spoke again. “I just want to talk about it. Without fighting.” 

Loki closed his eyes for a moment. Tony was right. He was trying to make this into a fight, even though that hadn’t been his initial intention. “Alright.” 

Tony stuck his hands inside his pockets. “Why don’t we go grab drinks?” Tony flapped his wings out of nervousness and agitation. “Hell, instead of going out we can steal some from my dad’s stockpile, he won’t notice. I’d rather not talk about this stuff out in public anyway.” 

Loki didn’t want to turn the olive branch down. Upsetting his familiar made him doubly uncomfortable in the bond. “That sounds good.” 

Twenty minutes later they were back in Loki’s room, and Loki was mixing a drink for Tony that he said was his specialty in Asgard. “It’s a little…minty,” Tony said. “But good. I like it.” 

Tony had taken alcohol from his father’s massive collection, but Loki had pulled some from his pocket dimension as well. They sat on the floor across from each other on soft cushions, a low coffee table between them. Loki’s room was large and most of it was set up for their magical training with open floor space and shelves of supplies. Loki’s bed looked like an afterthought shoved in the far corner of the room. 

Tony tapped at his drink, hoping that his thoughts weren’t too obvious as he stared at the bed. Loki didn’t notice as he poured his own drink. “I’m glad,” Loki said, a bit heavy handed with his own drink as dread filled his stomach. He wasn’t sure that he was ready to hear his familiar’s true thoughts. 

Tony glanced up. Frustration struck him as he saw Loki’s morose expression, but Tony tried to shove that down. He was going to talk it out, and then Loki was going to stop treating him like porcelain. 

“How’s the spell coming along?” Tony asked. He didn’t have to define which one. 

“My mother is still working with my father on it, but it is simply going to take an immense amount of power to cast. In and of itself it is not a complicated spell, and they are both talented magicians in their own rights, so I imagine that they will finish it soon. Fortunately, my father’s position as king grants him abilities that make the extension of the spell across all citizens feasible.” It irked Tony that Loki sounded like he was giving a formal decree instead of speaking with a friend. “I hope that in extending the All Speak to include your people and all of those who have been—wrongfully excluded, passing legislation to ban pets will be easier. However, I suspect that the fight on that front will continue for centuries.” He took a heavy drink. “We are not a people that change easily.” 

“Yeah. Kinda got that,” Tony said. “But uh, look at it this way. Sure, you might’ve kept me as a pet when we met, but without this whole misunderstanding, people would still be held as pets for millennia more, maybe forever. We’ve met, and now that’s all changing because you and I are familiar.” Loki’s eyes widened a little at Tony’s words but did not leave his drink. “Even when you finally understood me, you could’ve still kept me as a pet. No one would’ve thought twice about it.” Tony tilted his glass back and forth as he stared at Loki. “But you didn’t.” 

Loki twirled the drink in his hand, graceful enough that none of it spilled over the side of the glass. He didn’t enjoy it though. “So I met the barest requirement for decency.” 

“No.” Tony wanted to kick him under the table. “I’m saying you could try looking at it another way instead of however you are because that’s getting to be a real drag.” He took a sip. “Natasha’s the one that pointed out the us meeting and that changing everything for a lot of people that have been kept as pets, by the way. She’s the most pragmatic person I know.” 

“That’s getting to be a real drag,” Loki repeated Tony’s words, a question lurking in the statement. He’d completely ignored the part about Natasha. 

“Yeah,” Tony scowled. “It is.” 

Loki took a long sip of his drink, running his pointer finger down the glass as he did. Tony realized he was glowering at him and took a drink instead.

Loki obviously wasn’t going to say anything about that, so Tony decided to bring up something else that he’d been curious about. “You haven’t told me what happened between you and Thor.” 

Loki glanced up. He desperately wanted to ask Tony, but he also didn’t want to know the answer. He finished off his entire drink like a shot. “How’d you find your way out of the palace when you escaped past Thor?” 

“What?” Tony set his drink down. “Thor led me out of your room and through what I’m guessing what was a servant’s tunnel until we got outside and then we rode on horseback to the middle of nowhere and he dropped me off in a field and told me to go and leave you alone because I’d made you crazy or something.” 

“That damn liar!” Loki slammed his fist on the table. “He said you ran out past him when he opened the door to my rooms looking for me!” Loki’s glass was empty. He poured himself a shot instead and downed it. “That devious miscreant! And he acts like I’m the one that’s cunning, when he—” Loki seethed as he stared at Tony, and it would’ve been hot, okay it was super fucking hot, but Tony was also a little scared of how furious Loki was. “He said he didn’t chase you down because he figured you wouldn’t get very far, but then cited you escaping as evidence that you didn’t want to be there and that I should abandon the idea, and just—just move on with my life!” 

Tony was not going to touch that. Way too much family drama. 

“Cutting his hair was too merciful,” Loki hissed. 

Tony sighed. This plan wasn’t going well. At all. 

“And our bond was so new, I could not use it to find you. Your end was much stronger anyway it appears. It still is.” Loki huffed as his drink refilled by magic. “If I had not kept your note, I’d still be searching for you.” Loki rubbed his face, calming down a little. “I wouldn’t have stopped looking.” 

Actually, maybe this wasn’t going so bad. Maybe Loki needed to vent it all out. Tony took another sip, leaning his back against the couch behind him from where he was sitting on the floor. 

“I don’t know where he gets the confidence to think he knows best,” Loki grumbled. “First, he kidnapped you—” Loki’s head whipped back towards Tony. “You’ve never spoken of that. Were you alright? You were injured—”

“—because I fought with them,” Tony said. “It was kind of hard when it was five versus one, you know? But after they shackled me it was boring as hell.” Tony stretched his wings. “They have the most boring conversations. You have no idea.” 

“I do,” Loki said. He smiled suddenly. “ _You_ have no idea.” 

Tony smiled back, relishing the relief that brought. 

“Have I told you stories of the pranks I played on their hunting parties when we were growing up?”

“Loki, you haven’t told me any stories of you growing up.” 

“Ah.” Loki poured himself another drink. “Allow me to fix that then.” 

 

Tony had never heard Loki speak so much in one sitting. He was a great story teller, and Tony found himself listening in drunken, blissful contentment to each tale. Loki was easily more drunk than Tony was, and he was getting sleepy. He was yawning throughout all of his last story, and it was making Tony sleepy too. 

He crawled off of his floor cushion, around to Loki’s side of the table. Loki was taking a drink and sloshed a bit on himself when Tony sat down beside him. Tony grabbed the glass from his hand and set it on the table. “Tony?” Loki mumbled, alarmed. 

Tony wedged himself up against Loki’s side, curling one wing around Loki as he brought the other in around himself. He found himself wishing they were softer, more like the rest of his kind, so they’d be comforting and not cold and unyielding. Loki’s side was unbelievably warm. Tony set his head on Loki’s shoulder, closing his eyes. 

“Tony?” Loki asked again, quieter. 

“I’m sleeping here, if that’s alright with you.” 

Loki’s heart ached. He held his breath for a moment before giving up some of the unbearable control he’d kept on himself. He wrapped his arm around Tony’s waist. Tony hummed, and the sound was music to Loki’s ears. He closed his eyes, allowing his head to rest against Tony’s. He didn’t know why he deserved this. He wanted to cry, but the drunken spinning in his head drew him into sleep instead.

* * *

Loki woke up in the early evening hours, slumped against the floor. Loki had his back to the ground with Tony sleeping against him, his head on Loki’s chest with one arm and one leg wrapped around him. His heavy metal wings covered them like a blanket.

Several empty liquor bottles were scattered on the floor around them. Loki had a splitting headache, but it wasn’t even half as bad as the frantic pounding of his heart as he laid there. 

What would Tony think of waking up with him, like this, when he was sober? 

Loki wanted to escape before Tony woke up, but something stronger held him back. 

He _liked_ this. He liked this a lot. 

He wanted and craved Tony’s affection, but he knew he didn’t deserve it. Still, he was selfish enough that he wrapped his arms around Tony, closing his eyes and breathing in the comforting scent of him. His magic cradled around them, putting Loki at a greater calm than he had ever known in his life. It was always like that with Tony, and it was exactly why Loki couldn’t bear the thought of losing Tony. 

Loki must’ve drifted off again because he woke to Tony pulling away from his chest. Loki opened his eyes to find Tony staring down at him with something tender, but the moment Tony realized he was awake, it was gone. 

“You snore pretty loud,” Tony said, grinning. 

“I do not.” 

“It woke me up,” Tony said, stretching. He turned his back to Loki as he stretched his wings and ruffled his feathers. “I think we missed dinner.” 

“We undoubtedly did,” Loki said, eager to have something to fixate on instead of the fact that they’d been sleeping on the floor together. 

“Well I’m starving. Want to go grab something to eat?” 

“That would be nice.” Loki sat up. “I hope we can find fish,” he said, happy to distract Tony with trivialities. 

“I think that can be arranged,” Tony agreed. 

 

After a late dinner, Tony walked Loki to his room. They paused at the doorway and Loki was about to go in with a simple goodnight when Tony grabbed his hand. Tony summoned up his courage. “Think about what I said.” He squeezed Loki’s hand. “I get it if you’re not into me and it makes it awkward with me being your familiar, but—I meant it.” 

“Tony—” Loki bit his lip. 

“Think about it,” Tony said, letting go. He left before Loki could build himself up enough to say more. 

 

The tension from before was gone the next day, and they became comfortable again. They became closer than before too, and each day Tony prodded Loki a little more to let go. Loki didn’t bring up Tony’s desire for touch, although he was starting to feel Tony’s longing through the bond, drawing him in closer. 

Loki would allow himself to stand closer to Tony than before. He wouldn’t flinch when they’d accidentally touch. But Loki didn’t grant himself permission to touch Tony. 

And Tony’s frustration continued to build. 

It was torture to feel the intimacy that he did towards Loki and be kept at a distance. Tony could feel Loki’s magic drawing him in too. He wished Loki would get over himself. 

On one of the days when the longing was particularly bad, Tony went out with Clint to blow off some steam. He was allowed to venture into the forest with Clint, and they were making target practice of the leaf-like seeds that would fall from the trees on their way to the ground. 

They didn’t see the bilgesnipe grazing in the distance. They would’ve been fine, if one of their arrows hadn’t verged off course and struck so close to the animal that it charged them, catching Tony’s slower take off and gauging him in the ribs before stampeding off.

Loki felt his pain through the bond immediately. 

Tony was howling in pain as Loki teleported there, frantically grasping onto Tony as he relived Tony’s first injury. He funneled nearly every ounce of magic he had into Tony’s mangled side, knitting muscle and conducting blood and bone to their proper places until Tony’s side looked no different than before. Yet he still felt Tony’s pain and looked in confusion before Tony ground out, “ _my wing_.” 

The metal that bowed so gracefully into his skin was damaged, cutting in at the wrong angle. As Loki set his attention on it he found Tony’s familial bond guiding him, showing him how to weave his magic through the injury and set the wing right. 

Tony was covered in sweat and shaking when it was all done, but perfectly healthy.

Loki set his hand over Tony’s heart and closed his eyes. “Please stop getting injured.” He breathed the words out, firm but still pleading.

Tony let out a weak laugh. 

He flapped his wings and Loki noticed at the same moment Tony did that his magic had turned Tony’s feathers a brilliant shade of emerald green that glittered in gold as it caught the light. “I apologize, I will revert them the moment I recuperate enough magic—”

Tony grabbed Loki’s bicep. “Stop,” he said. “I like them that way.” 

“Oh.” Loki cheeks tinged pink. It was the same shade of green as he was wearing. He turned even darker pink as Tony sat up, his breath drifting against Loki’s cheek, and in the next moment Tony’s lips were pressing into Loki’s, filled with every ounce of longing that Tony had ever felt.

Loki moaned, dizzy as he found himself letting go, kissing Tony back the way he wasn’t allowed to. Tony’s hands drew up into his hair, drawing Loki onto the ground with him. 

When they broke apart, their lips were swollen and they were panting. Tony smiled. “I should get mortally wounded more often.” 

“Please don’t take that away from this,” Loki breathed out, grabbing Tony and hugging him tight against his chest. Tony relaxed against him, drawing his wings around them. 

A few moments later they heard shouts. Tony peeked out of his wings and saw Clint in the far distance, returning with a help party. Tony thought Loki would push him away, but he didn’t. He only held Tony to him as if he was afraid to lose him.

“There’s so much blood,” Clint breathed out as he landed. 

“Loki saved my life,” Tony said. “Again.” 

“How could I not?” Loki asked quietly. 

“You’ve got to stop scaring us like this, Tony,” Rhodey said, shaking his head. 

“That’s what I said,” Loki agreed with him.

“Hey now. Don’t you all gang up on me,” Tony scolded them. There were some relieved laughs before they started home. 

They threw a massive party for Loki that night. 

That wasn’t what mattered, though. It was how Tony asked Loki to stay that night with him, and Loki agreed. They didn’t do anything but lay in bed together, Tony’s contentment coming through the bond loud and clear enough for the both of them. 

Things got better from there. 

Not perfect, but better. A lot better. Loki was still hard on himself, but he accepted affectionate touches from Tony without any real fuss. They were making baby steps in the right direction, and it was enough that Tony didn't feel stifled and touch starved anymore. The All Speak was successfully expanded, making Loki’s language lessons obsolete but Tony still liked to hear Loki try speaking on his own without magical assistance. Tony’s friends warmed up immensely once they were all able to speak to Loki easily and give him the shovel talk, all individually and without any idea that the others had done so. The spell’s expansion also changed everything across Asgard, and the legislation to outlaw humanoid pets was making progress. 

Despite these wins, they both knew a day would come when Loki would have to primarily reside in the palace instead. But that day was not today, and perhaps it would not be for a long time. Loki found that he was happier not residing in the palace, teleporting there as needed and for short stints. He always missed Tony when he was away though, and he could feel Tony’s longing returning back to him through the bond. 

The bond was so much stronger and brilliant than before. Loki could tell where Tony was in a heartbeat. He could generally sense what Tony was feeling when his clever familiar allowed it, and he always knew when Tony desired his attention. It was what had Loki leaving Asgard in the middle of the night, abandoning his plan to return to Tony after breakfast in the palace. 

Tony’s head snapped up from the project he was working on as he felt Loki’s presence flooding the bond. Tony spun around, eyes bright but brows furrowed in concentration. “You’re back early,” Tony questioned. “Is everything alright?” 

Loki stepped forward in the dim light, setting his hands on Tony’s shoulders. After a moment of hesitation, he gave in and brushed one hand through Tony’s hair, an action that had taken months of prodding from Tony for Loki to finally allow himself. “Yes.” He smiled to the side. “I would just rather be with you.” 

“That’s how I know you have good taste,” Tony crooned, grabbing Loki’s hips. He pulled the mage in closer, flaring his wings. “Cast something with me?” The rush Tony felt at Loki’s magic amplifying through him had never dulled. Better yet though, for the first time in his life, Tony could say he wasn’t lonely. Loki was there when he needed him.

“How can I say no?” Loki muttered, gesturing with his hand for Tony to stand. 

Loki set his hand on Tony’s waist, gently turning him around so that Tony’s back was to his chest, Tony’s wings delicately held out to the sides to accommodate Loki. “A story?” Loki asked, knowing damn well that it was Tony’s favorite. 

Tony grabbed his wrists, and immediately Loki felt his magic in brighter, higher definition, infinitely easier to cast and manipulate. “Tell me one I haven’t heard before.” 

“Alright.” 

A light show appeared between their hands, the characters and scenery drawn from light so effortlessly that they appeared real. Loki spoke quietly beside Tony’s ear, narrating the tale. They stood that way for nearly an hour, lost in the story and their shared bond before the story came to and end and they both recognized how tired they were.

Tony yawned. “I’m glad you got me as a familiar and not something normal like a toad.” 

Loki laughed. “I cannot imagine how that would’ve been.” He stood there for a moment then, until Tony grabbed his hand and took a step towards the stairs. 

“Let’s go to bed,” Tony said. Loki nodded, and as they curled up in bed together that night, Tony draped one wing across them both. “Goodnight,” Tony muttered.

“Goodnight,” Loki answered.

It was impossible to distinguish through the bond whose contentment was whose as they drifted off to sleep.


End file.
